It's All About The Babies
by charmony
Summary: NPH 19 - We follow Emily, JJ, Penelope, Teresa and Austin as their pregnancies progress and the BAU family expands, as Teresa and Dave enter married life and as new couples find their footing. WARNING: ratings are fluid and bound to change so please watch the author's notes section at the top of each chapter.
1. A is for All About the Progress

**A/N: Okay, I know I said I was going to be away for a while, but if I'm honest (and I do always try to be), this is my passion so here I am. I tried writing something in my other sets and if you are following along with LW you'll know it wasn't up to my normal standard for that set. So here I am and here I will stay until I get a feel for LW and the other sets again.**

**So now that the heaviness of Arabian Nights is over, I am going to deliver on my promises of some lighter, happier pieces. And having enjoyed writing Life's An Alphabet, I am coming back with another alphabet and the promise that once again I will deliver without the clichés most would expect to find. And it will be all about what I have promised in the title; we'll be following the pregnancies of our BAU mamma's as the family expands and grows.**

**Reviews are so precious to me and I will NEVER take for granted all of you awesome people who are following along with this set. So for those who followed Arabian Nights to its conclusion and dropped me a line; Wtiger5, Hazmatt, HGRHfan35, greengirl82, NicknHotchfan and HPforever-after; thank you, thank you, thank you! You all mean the world to me and I really hope you like where we're going next. I also want to take a moment and thank those of you who read these stories when alerted to their presence without reviewing; as a review hussy, I urge you to drop me a line or two in review, but even if you don't that's entirely fine and you are still greatly appreciated.**

**To clear up a couple of things, the Scott's will definitely be featuring in this set from now on, though they may not be as prominent as they have been until a bit later in the set. Kelly is NOT pregnant, but Teresa and Emily are.**

**Rated M for sex scenes and adult themes.**

**PLEASE NOTE: This is NPH 19. If you aren't already following this series, I recommend that you make your way to my author profile page and start with NPH 1, as some or all of this will not make sense otherwise.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds at all, although they do own me and I do own Carrie and Toby, Chloe and India, Kelly and Brad and Ben. **

All About the Progress

"Excuse me, Mrs. Hotchner?"

Emily looked up from the book she was reading and smiled at the nurse who stood there. She remembered Rosie from the last time she was in the clinic some months ago now and was glad to see she was still there despite the shake-up that had happened surrounding her doctor's misconduct and the discovery that he wasn't the only one working in the clinic the medical board needed to have a close look at.

"Dr. Lewis has just phoned in. She is incredibly apologetic that she has been called on an emergency home delivery and doesn't know how long she'll be. She requests that you stay to wait in case she gets free in the next few hours however she'll also understand if you are busy and would rather reschedule."

Emily tipped her head slightly to the side and thought about it. Aaron was babysitting all the children while Carrie took a day off to spend apartment hunting with Mirkal and a lot would depend on how that was going.

"Could I have a minute to call my husband and check? I have nothing else planned today, but the nanny is unavailable and I don't want to put him out if he's struggling. He's still recovering from a head injury."

Rosie smiled brightly. "Yes, of course. I have to inform a couple of other patients, so I'll come back when I'm done."

Emily pulled her phone out and dialled as Rosie moved across the waiting room. She waited as it rang, knowing that first 'hello' would be very telling.

"Hello?"

Emily frowned slightly. Not Aaron and not Jack. Toby giggled in her ear and she smiled, relieved that there was nothing wrong with the child at the other end of the line.

"Hello Toby. It's Emily. You sound like you're having fun."

Toby giggled again. "Yes, we are having lots of fun. Did you want to speak to uncle Aaron?"

Emily smiled. "Yes please sweetheart."

And in the way of children everywhere, he shouted with the phone still against his ear, "Uncle Aaron! Aunt Emily's on the phone for you." Emily lifted her free hand to rub her ears before Toby came back on the line and said in a sweet voice, "Uncle Aaron's coming. Bye."

She was still rubbing her ear after he dropped the phone against something hard when Aaron picked it up and answered in a breathless voice, "Hey beautiful. How's your hearing?"

She laughed even as she smiled at that endearment. "It's fine handsome. Are you having fun?"

"Loads of it. Will turned up with Henry since JJ has a similar appointment to yours and so we've been throwing a football around. The kids are having a blast and the girls are sound asleep and have been angels. How'd your appointment go?"

"That's why I'm calling. The doctor is running really late and may be several hours. She would prefer it if I stay, but understands if I need to go."

"Ah, so you want to know how long I will be content here before I need a break?"

"Something like that," she said with a grin as she waved to JJ, who was just now walking toward her after stopping at the reception desk.

"It's totally fine. After the last time, I would rather know up front if there's anything we need to be aware of. So take your time and we'll cope beautifully. And if I have any questions, I'll call Carrie to come bail me out. And if you want to take some time for yourself after your appointment, feel free to do so. Just message me when you think you will be home."

Emily laughed, agreed and hung up the call. She turned to JJ and embraced the other woman.

"I didn't know this was your clinic Jayje."

"Mmm, Dr. Willis got me through my first pregnancy with Henry and once they cleared him in the investigation, I eagerly signed back on to have him get me through this second one. He's a total gem and a grandfather to boot, so I get awesome stories of his grandkids and a great bedside manner. But I admit to being surprised to see you back here after what happened last time."

Emily shrugged and waved to Austin as she stepped through the door. JJ turned and waved as well, before looking back at her intently.

"I liked the overall atmosphere here. I also liked the time the clinics head honcho took to explain in detail what had gone wrong. So I thought I'd give them another go."

Rosie returned to her as Austin dropped into the seat on JJ's other side. Emily informed her that she would stay and wait for the time being and Rosie shot her a beaming smile and promised to keep them updated before walking away.

Emily looked at Austin. "Are you booked in with Dr. Lewis as well?"

Austin nodded with a smile. "I liked what you had to say about the clinic and with the recommendation from New York that she is one of the best there is, I thought I'd give her a go."

"I received the same recommendation. It'll be interesting to see what the bedside manner is like versus how good she is as a doctor."

The three of them started debating what was necessary in a good ob/gyn and were so caught up in the conversation that they completely missed seeing Penelope and Teresa walk in until the two women took seats directly opposite them.

"Watcha talking about so intensely little mammas?" Penelope interrupted with a grin.

There were greetings and hugs all around, their recent ordeal with the 'King's Palace Kidnappers' - as the media had dubbed the men who had made their lives miserable for the few weeks they'd been in their sights - bringing them into a deeper, more tight-knit relationship than they'd been in before they were taken. The fact that five of the eight of them were pregnant, and that two of the other three already had children, had also helped the relationship grow.

"We're discussing bedside manner versus experience."

"Ah...a very important topic. Luckily I scored both in the same doctor."

"Who are you seeing?" JJ asked curiously.

"Dr. Rebecca Lewis."

Emily perked up. "So she's really good and really nice?"

"Very," Penelope said firmly.

Emily and Austin sighed in relief, and were gently teased about it as the conversation turned to other topics. An hour later a cheerful voice cut through their chatter.

"Emily Hotchner?"

"That's Doc Lewis Em. You'll like her, trust me on that."

Emily smiled at her friend as she stood and grabbed her bag. Walking towards the doctor, she decided she liked the warm, friendly smile being directed her way. She followed her down the hall and into an office near the back of the clinic.

"Emily, I'm Dr. Lewis and as I tell all my mums-to-be, please feel free to call me Rebecca. Particularly in this case as I believe we will be seeing a _lot_ of each other over the next months."

"How do you figure that one?"

"Well, you're high risk because of your age for a start. Add to that the information I've read in your file that tells me you had twins with your last pregnancy and that you almost died due to complications during labour. Because of those factors, and if you're willing, I'll be doing an ultrasound today. This is just to be on the safe side and even if you aren't willing, I seriously urge you to consider it as we get to know each other while I get your baseline stats recorded."

_Pen was right; I really do like her._

Emily relaxed at the honesty being directed her way, feeling relieved to know that this woman was straight up about the facts yet nice in her manner. The next half an hour solidified her initial observations and by the time she was actually asked if she wanted the ultrasound, she was content enough with the relationship to agree to it.

She watched the screen as the images came alive under the chunky wand being moved across her abdomen. The technician who had arrived with the equipment, and a pretty outrageous sense of humour, shifted the wand until the image that appeared was one she was now well versed in reading.

"There we have it," Rebecca said as she studied the screen. "There's your baby."

New Section

An hour and a half later, the five of them sat at a table in a cafe down the block and enjoyed the warmth that came with good company and amazing hot chocolate.

"Is PG even paying any attention to the conversation?" Austin asked curiously as Penelope ignored a rather outrageous comment she would have normally jumped right on top of.

Emily shot a look at her friend and grinned. "It's doubtful she's heard _anything_ we've said since she pulled that ultrasound photo out. From memory, even with the symptoms at times being horrible, the novelty of having a life growing inside you never gets old."

JJ nodded agreement. "It's true; the whole time I was pregnant with Henry, I just couldn't believe how blessed I was. Everything to do with the pregnancy was a distraction from my surroundings and how I managed not to get into trouble with my baby brain I have no idea."

Teresa nudged Penelope's shoulder and the woman looked up with a start.

"Sorry," she said as she quickly put the picture away. "I'm here, I promise."

"Sure you are," Emily teased gently.

"Well, maybe I wasn't before but I am now. How did you like Doc Lewis?"

Emily grinned. "She's wonderful. You were right about her. I think I liked her honesty best."

Austin nodded. "Me too; she didn't try to sugar-coat the reality of the miscarriage and I really appreciate that."

"What did she say about your remaining baby?" JJ asked as Penelope and Emily wrapped supportive arms around her.

"Thirteen weeks and uncooperative. Both Reid and I want to know what we're having but at the moment that is impossible, though she said that I am about four or five weeks too early to know. However, everything is in proportion to everything else and all looks to be on track for a healthy rest of the pregnancy. She tried explaining it to me in technical terms and I told her she was talking to the wrong half of this marriage. She looked at me blankly until I explained how smart Reid is and then she laughed and just said the bottom line was everything was perfect and she was very happy with me."

They all laughed at this and turned to Penelope who grinned. "Well, we confirmed again today that I'm having a girl and at twenty-five weeks, we are also doing well. She said she was glad to note that my ordeal hadn't effected the health of the baby and I agreed."

"So she's not in any distress?" JJ asked curiously.

"None whatsoever. I know that was something the doctor at the hospital in New York was concerned about, but she's settled down beautifully and my precious bub is on the way to being a perfect mini-me."

This provoked more laughter.

"I somehow doubt I'll get the mini-me," Teresa said. "The way Dave tells it, I'm giving him a son; end of story, no discussion."

"Exactly how pregnant are you?" Emily asked dryly.

Teresa rolled her eyes. "About seven weeks."

"Far too early to tell. And he does realise he gets no say in the matter?"

"I know right? I just can't get it through Dave's thick skull. And the only reason he isn't here hovering is because I'd already arranged this hot drink date with Penelope and I dropped enough female-only words to get him to drop me off and drive away. He wasn't happy about it though."

"Dave is a throwback to another era long dead," Emily stated as she tried to hold on to her amusement. "I'll get Aaron to have a chat with him and seriously, if he ever gets to be too much, just walk out and come to my place. We'll sit and do something fun while you catch your breath."

"You don't find Hotch too overbearing and protective?" JJ asked.

"Not at all. I'm confident enough in our marriage and in myself, and assertive enough to tell him to back off when he's crowding me. It also helped that we had the biggest argument of our entire relationship while I was pregnant; it helped us get a lot of things out in the open and set some rules for if we were ever in the same position again.

"I'll suggest that he take that argument and lay it out for Dave, as an example of what _not_ to do. And of course, if you don't want to just walk out because you don't want him any more worried than he might already be, give us a call; we can always come round to your place instead."

Teresa smiled in thanks. "Do you know, I think I might actually survive this pregnancy with all of you in my corner."

They all smiled at this and exchanged high-fives and hugs.

"Will and I don't actually want to know what we are having, though the technician today said she was pretty certain she could already tell."

"How far along are you?" Penelope asked.

"Fifteen weeks. They don't normally do ultrasounds so early, but Dr. Willis said he wanted it done in light of what I'd been through just so that he could nip things in the bud early if there was anything wrong."

"But you're well right?" Penelope asked, as they all paused in what they were doing to focus on her.

JJ smiled gently as she stroked her stomach. "We're both mostly fine. The baby's heartbeat is just a touch too low for Doc's liking, so I'm booked to come back in at the end of the week for another check, but otherwise everything is in the right place and the right proportion. He thinks it might have to do with the residual fears that still plague me at night or when I'm out on my own with no one around, but that once they settle, so will the baby."

Emily took her hand and squeezed it gently. "I think we'll all be dealing with that for a while, but I also know that we will get through it and all will be right again."

Everyone nodded agreement of this and JJ smiled and rested her head on Emily's shoulder for a minute before nudging her gently.

"So, were you scolded for getting pregnant again so soon after the last time?"

Emily smiled slightly. "Only a little bit. She seemed completely at peace with the adage that once is all it takes. She did an ultrasound more to see what the baby's surrounds looked like in light of what happened with the last birth and she is content that everything is fine. My next ultrasound will be in six weeks at the twelve week marker because of the fact that I had twins last time; she says if we're going down that road again, she wants to know early and I agree that this is a good idea."

"Will you have to have a c-section?" Penelope asked.

Emily shrugged. "She said she'd monitor how the pregnancy was going. We know what the doctor said after the car crash, but considering I was able to deliver naturally and that the complications came only after the placenta ruptured the lining of my uterus when it broke off, she said it was tentatively possible. But I would definitely need to be in the hospital when I deliver in case of issues repeating themselves."

"And this is of course dependant on how Aaron feels about all of it right?" Austin asked.

Emily nodded vigorously. "Definitely. I do _not_ want to have to deal with him having another breakdown should something go wrong. So we'll both listen to the doctor and to each other and we'll take it as it comes. I'd rather have a nice, clean delivery without the surgery, but if the idea isn't feasible, or is simply too distressing for Aaron to go through, I'll adjust accordingly and accept that the surgery is necessary for his peace of mind. In the end it just isn't that important as long as he or she is healthy when they're born."

There was a soft chorus of 'Amen's' as the girls turned to the desserts now being placed in front of them and the conversation turned to other topics as the afternoon wore on.

**End-**

**A/N: Okay, that was really easy to write, so you my NPH fans will definitely be getting more soonish. With the Easter weekend coming in just a couple of days, I make no promises on having time enough to write and post, but if you don't get the next update tomorrow, there'll be something up mid next week (I love four day weekends!).**

**Have a wonderful Easter everyone!**

**Please review with the conveniently placed link right under these words. I love to know what you think and it makes me type faster and update quicker. **


	2. B is for Baby Love

**A/N: Hey all. Sorry about the length of time between A and B postings; first there was a four day weekend, then I was told that I would have to do work at work (oh the horror :p) and then I pinched a nerve in my spine early this week, so my entire world is now revolving around my pain and what I can do despite it. But I am upright and getting there slowly and as a result, you get this next chapter finally.**

**One of my wonderful reviews mentioned that the last chapter hadn't warranted the M rating I set for the story. This is another alphabet piece and as such, this story will have 26 chapters. The M was set to cover the most I'll come up with throughout the piece. Not every chapter will be worthy of the M rating though, so I'll go back to a revolving rating in the appropriate section so that you will all know what we're getting up to each chapter. Sorry if you were all a bit confused by the last chapter and the rating info.**

**You wonderful, wonderful people who review are always popping into my head and I really do take great joy in spending a few moments just thanking you for your wonderful words of encouragement. Thanks to greengirl82, melodic2686, Hazmatt, megameighteen, HGRHfan35 (yes, bub is a typical Aussie term for a baby, and I really hope you're feeling better), miaa29 (for Arabian Nights ch 30), 123a456e (The Road to Nowhere ch 7) and HPforever-after. You all made my Easter wonderful with warm fuzzies and I hope yours was just as fantastic. **

**Rated M for sex scenes and adult themes **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds at all, although they do own me and I do own Carrie and Toby, Chloe and India, Kelly and Brad and Ben. **

Baby Love

"Do you know, I'd forgotten just how hot you can be when the hormones are riding you?"

Emily smiled sweetly at the man lying under her, filling her so completely. "Are you complaining my love?"

"Hell no! Just making idle commentary."

"Well, if that's the case, I'm not doing my job well enough."

"Oh I don't kn..." his words tapered off into a groan as she caused her hips to undulate slightly, her inner walls flexing their muscles.

In the month since she'd been raped, Emily had run the gamut of emotions. From incredible happiness and excitement over the knowledge she was pregnant again by the man she loved above all others; to abject terror that first night they'd come together physically. The lack of light and the slightest of sounds in the distance and she'd been so panicked, she'd blackened Aaron's eye and tossed him off the bed.

Yet Aaron had been Aaron; not in the slightest bit worried about his own safety as he rushed to fill the room with light and reassure her that everything was alright.

The second time it had happened, they'd brought it to the counsellor she was seeing and was informed that it was an incredibly natural reaction. Most women didn't try to push themselves so hard, but as Emily had pointed out, the hormones in her body were sending powerful messages to her sex drive; she couldn't just ignore them or turn them off.

The recommendation? Either put lights on or make love during the day.

So since it had happened at night, Carrie was now in charge of the kids for the entirety of nap time and the senior Hotchner's took a 'nap' of their own. But three weeks of interrupted sessions had them both considering night time, with lights on, _after_ the children were in bed for the night.

Which didn't keep them from trying.

Aaron lifted his hands as she shook her hair back from her face; the other change they'd made involved letting her be on top. She placed her hands in his and leaned down for a deep, drugging kiss as she rocked her hips a second time. She captured his groan with a smile and shifted back enough to see his face as she found a slow, easy rhythm.

"Babe, you're killing me here. I thought..."

"You think too much Aaron. Relax into it."

He opened his mouth to say something and she stole his breath simply by squeezing him hard with her inner muscles. Following it up with another long kiss, she refused to change the pace. She wanted this one to last, particularly after a quick word to Carrie. They had the time they needed and she needed this chance to build another wonderful memory to block out the bad ones Malik had driven into her psyche.

She could feel the power of it coiling around her centre, tighter and tighter, and she knew she didn't have much longer. A look into Aaron's glazed eyes told her that he was rapidly reaching the same place. She squeezed his hands, getting his attention.

"Flip us," she whispered raggedly.

She watched his struggle to comprehend what she was asking as she continued moving around him. She loved the very clear proof that he didn't see her as dirty or untouchable now that she'd been violated so completely.

"What?"

"You, on top. Now, before we go."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. God Aaron, hurry. Take this over and finish it. But don't lose me."

His eyes searched hers closely, then just as suddenly as he'd tumbled them on the bed when they entered this room after lunch he flipped them over. She squeaked softly at the suddenness of his following her request, but he kept their eye contact and she shifted restlessly under him as he stilled. He searched her eyes intently to see if she was truly alright with the position and she sought to encourage him to continue with a kiss.

He didn't need any more encouragement. He pulled back from the kiss and settled his hands on either side of her head, the eye contact some of the most intimate they'd ever shared as he sent them barrelling over the edge of the unseen cliff and into the unknown. She could see more clearly in that moment then she had in months and because of that she saw right to the heart and soul of the man she'd married to see the truth of the depth of his love for her. It staggered her to realise it and before she knew it, she was crying in his arms.

And she knew in the depths of her soul that her healing journey had truly turned a corner.

New Section

Carrie opened the door at the ring of the doorbell and smiled warmly as she welcomed the Scott family into the house. She hugged Lydia and Arianna, ruffled Gavin's hair and accepted a kiss on the cheek from Cameron. Lydia and Gavin were dressed down for a casual evening. Cameron had paired a nice shirt with jeans and sneakers. Arianna was dressed in a nice pair of boots coupled with stockings and her favourite winter dress. The reason for this was that Jack had asked for permission to take Arianna on a date. The parents had all given their permission and when Arianna said yes, the ground rules had been laid. They would leave at 5 for a nearby pizza parlour. Aaron and Cameron were going along as chaperons and the girls were staying in to babysit and otherwise indulge in some chocolate and girl talk before they had to feed the boys left behind.

"Arianna, you look absolutely gorgeous."

"Thank you," she said softly with a shy smile.

"Jack is still getting ready, and Aaron and Emily are waiting in the living room having been banished from helping him."

Lydia smiled. "I offered to let Arianna get ready by herself and I thought she was going to hyperventilate."

"I didn't think I could do it good. Like mummy."

Carrie shot Arianna a comforting smile. "That's alright sweetheart. You'll get used to getting ready for a date by yourself when you've done it a bit more frequently."

She ducked her head with another soft acceptance and Carrie turned everyone towards the main area of the house.

Aaron had India on his lap and Emily was on her stomach pulling faces at Chloe as the baby babbled happily at her. Chloe too was on her tummy, dressed in her sleeper suit and surrounded by toys.

They both looked up with smiles, but quickly turned back to the little girl trying to push up onto her knees. Toby bounced off the couch, smiled at Arianna, and asked if Gavin wanted to see his new train set. The boy readily agreed and they disappeared quickly.

Lydia sank into the spot just vacated with a contented sigh and Cameron leaned against the wall near the door.

"How long has she been trying to do that?" Lydia asked with interest.

"The last couple of minutes. We doubt she'll crawl, but we won't miss it if she does."

A comfortable silence fell as they watched and encouraged Chloe until Jack walked into the room looking sharp, but incredibly nervous in a dress shirt and jeans. Emily smiled at him in an attempt to calm him down as she shifted to sit up when Chloe suddenly decided she'd had enough of being the centre of attention and let out an unhappy sound.

"Jack, you look more and more handsome like your dad every day."

Jack flushed and shot her a small, happy smile before focusing back on Arianna and walking to her to say hello. They were quickly involved in a happy conversation involving what had happened during their day.

"Right, boys and Arianna are leaving now. Adult boys, presents yourselves at the door for a body sweep. You aren't leaving the house with any weapons on your persons. The kiddies are too young for threats over either implied or proven hurts."

Arianna and Jack giggled at the groans coming from their fathers, but Emily was deadly serious and stopped them both at the front door. She took Lydia through frisking her husband, not that she needed the direction since she knew the majority of the places he kept his numerous knives and other assorted weapons. They moved out the door to get the children settled in the car, leaving Aaron to her care.

She held out her hand and he sighed and pulled the gun in the ankle holster out and after checking the safety was on, handed it to her as he pulled the holster off.

"Any others?" she asked seriously as she set the gun on the nearby side table.

"No, just that one, I promise. But seriously, we just had the weapons on us in case something out of our control happened."

"Aaron, you're going to the pizza parlour; it's hardly going to be dangerous." Narrowing her eyes, she stepped right into him and slid a hand down his side. "Considering how protective you are of Jack, perhaps I should check you out anyway. Just to be on the safe side."

"Mmm, maybe you should; just for your own piece of mind that is," he murmured as her hand ghosted over his hip and settled on the bulge in his jeans as she squeezed gently. He leaned down with a groan and captured her lips in a kiss that warmed them both through and through.

A throat clearing nearby interrupted the haze of their desire.

"If you guys are quite done with the _frisking_, which simply looks like you getting _frisky_ with each other, Jack and Arianna are quite anxious to get going."

Emily knew the look she shot Cameron was slightly less than friendly; reigning in her emotions before she was ready to stop was harder than he could have realised. Aaron caught her chin in his hand and gave her another, quick kiss before shifting away from her embrace and walking down the stairs.

Cameron looked down and then back up with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't say anything. Not one word."

Cameron held up his hands in surrender and slipped in behind the wheel of the vehicle and sent them down the drive as the kids chattered happily behind him.

New Section

"God only knows how much I love that man," Emily said softly as she watched the car lights disappear down the drive. She turned to Lydia and hugged the younger woman. "How're you doing since I saw you last?"

Lydia smiled slightly. "Yes and no. Let's go get tea and I'll tell you all about it."

Liking that suggestion, Emily gestured her inside and closed the door. She made tea for the two of them and coffee for Carrie and carried the cups, with a small pitcher of milk and a dish of sugar into the living room. Carrie looked up from where she sat on the couch with Chloe in her arms and grinned.

"Hey, we're finally getting to the good stuff. I just checked on Gavin and Toby and they're happily ensconced in the play area with the new train set and as you can see, the girls are wide awake and wanting to play. And, looking at my watch, I've got half an hour before dinner needs to be made so that gives me half an hour to gossip. So give me something good."

Lydia laughed as they all put their drinks together and settled into the couches. "I like this new, more confident you Carrie. Mirkal is good for you."

Carrie's smile turned sexy and her gaze became introspective. Emily grinned at Lydia. "Carrie is finally beginning to take time off now that I'm fully recovered and able to look after all of the children by myself. That includes taking nights off. Both Aaron and I are happy for her that she's finally finding happiness."

Carrie blushed and ducked her head. "Mirkal makes me feel worthwhile for the first time in my adult life. It's a wonderful feeling."

"I bet it doesn't hurt at all that he's head over heels in love with you either."

Carrie's smile turned secretive and they all laughed, causing the twins to giggle as well. Emily set her teacup to the side and slipped off the couch to play with the girls as she prodded Lydia with, "So yes and no?"

"Mmm, I was wondering how long you'd take to come back to that."

"What's this?" Carrie asked.

"Emily asked how I've been since I was here last. I answered yes and no to it. Yes, everything is wonderful. The kids are slowly becoming less clingy, but Cameron is a lot more conscious of my whereabouts than he ever was before. I think he's dreading returning to work properly after Christmas, despite how understanding they've been with him at the base. He's overprotective at the moment, but I haven't minded because I've been a bit clingy myself."

"My counsellor would say that it all sounds like positive progress. So where does the no come in?"

Lydia winced slightly. "Did you see the bandage on Cameron's upper arm?" When Carrie and Emily had both nodded, she took a deep breath and said in a rush, "I did that."

"What?"

She smiled ruefully at their shock. "We've been having some trouble getting me comfortable in the bedroom again, though Cameron's love and patience never cease to amaze me. Unfortunately, the other night wasn't one of our better nights. We made love and fell asleep in a tangle of body parts. You know, nice and sweaty and wrapped around each other. I fell asleep with the light on and woke with it off and I pretty much freaked out. Cameron had his arm around my waist and the second I shifted his hold tightened instinctively. Next thing I knew, I'd somehow managed to lunge across the bed, grab the knife he keeps in the top drawer and had turned to cut him in order to get him to let go."

Emily and Carrie winced, their smiles sympathetic. Carrie slipped off her couch and moved to sit beside Lydia and offer her a comforting hug.

"How bad was it?"

"He needed six stiches; it was pretty deep. It's luck that Cameron keeps his blades so sharp, and that his reflexes are so good; otherwise I could have done permanent damage. He started trying to reassure me immediately as he got the light on but I ended up sobbing on the bed, shaking so badly I couldn't move. It wasn't until he pointed out that I'd need to drive him to the hospital that I was able to pull it together and calm down enough for his words to penetrate my misery."

Carrie increased the pressure of her arms briefly, before getting up and leaving the room. She came back quickly and held up her hands.

"Considering Emily managed to badly blacken Aaron's eye and you cut Cameron's arm, we definitely need to some comfort. I think it's time for the chocolate."

Lydia and Emily exchanged rueful smiles and the chocolate was dished out in quick succession.

New Section

"What do you reckon they're talking about?" Cameron asked mildly as they sipped their beers and watched the kids where they sat two tables over.

"Who; the kids or the girls back home?"

Cameron grinned and tipped his beer in acknowledgement. "Either or both."

Aaron shrugged. "I imagine the kids are talking about toys, pets, or both. The girls are most likely discussing things most men would shudder over. I'm quite happy to be here, talking weapons and missions with you."

Cameron's grin widened. "You got that right."

New Section

"I think I'm falling asleep," Lydia said with a yawn. She'd piled the cushions up around her body and snuggled into the couch while Emily and Carrie settled the boys in the den with a movie while they waited for Arianna and Jack to return from their date. Now the three ladies were back together in the living room while they tried to settle two wide awake 5 month old girls.

"Hmm," Carrie said as a teasing smile played on her lips. "Clearly our techniques for putting Chloe and India to sleep are working on the wrong female."

Lydia cracked an eyelid and poked her tongue out at Carrie. Emily smiled in amusement as she tucked India closer and continued rocking her as she hummed. India was beginning to drift off, but Chloe was wide awake and fighting Carrie's every effort to put the child to sleep.

"Try not to get too comfy. The guys are due back shortly with the kids."

"What's the bet there's ice-cream involved on the way home?"

"Unless the guys clean their faces really well, we'll be able to figure it out pretty easily."

"Even if they do clean faces, the sugar rush will have the kids hyper so we'll still be able to figure it out."

"Good point Em." The sound of the front door opening and kids chattering excitedly filled the silence.

Emily rolled her eyes. "I don't think we even need to see them to know there was ice-cream."

Lydia sighed tiredly. "Cameron got her into the hyper mood, he can deal with the aftermath. Personally, I'm going home to bed."

"You go girl," Carrie said as she offered a high five.

"You notice they stopped coming this way," Emily murmured in amusement.

"Stop hiding the evidence. We already figured it out," Lydia called.

There was another moment of silence before Cameron and Aaron appeared around the corner of the doorframe looking incredibly sheepish. When Arianna walked around the corner, it was clear that chocolate ice-cream had been her choice. Jack's choice was a little less clear. Neither of the kids looked sheepish; they just looked happy.

Carrie smothered a giggle, Emily rolled her eyes and Lydia just sighed again softly and pushed up out of the couch.

"Right, I'm getting our calm, hasn't-been-fed-sugar, son and you can herd our hyper daughter in the direction of the car."

Cameron blinked, confusion clear on his face at his wife's slightly abrupt words.

"I think mummy's tired daddy," Arianna said solemnly.

"Sweetheart, I think you may just be right there. Why don't you say goodbye to Jack now so we don't keep her waiting when she returns with Gavin."

Arianna nodded and turned to Jack, who hugged her quickly. She beamed a smile at him and turned to skip out of the room.

"Come on daddy. We can go now!" she called back in a sing-song voice.

Cameron saluted. "Yes ma'am. Night ladies. Aaron, Jack."

He turned and marched out of the room, causing giggles to reach their ears as he met up with Arianna. Lydia appeared with Gavin and exchanged hugs with the ladies and received a kiss on the cheek from Aaron while Gavin thanked them for dinner and said goodbye to Jack and Toby. Aaron then walked Lydia and Gavin to the door before returning to ruffle Jack's hair.

"Come on boys. We need to clean Jack up and get both of you in bed for stories. Say goodnight to your mothers."

A few minutes later silence fell as the males left and Carrie and Emily realised the girls were finally asleep.

Emily smiled softly as she pressed a gentle kiss to India's forehead and they headed upstairs as well, following the males as they turned to settling the girls in their cribs. Carrie settled Chloe in and withdrew from the room, passing Aaron in the hall on his way to join his wife.

He pushed the door shut softly and wrapped his arms around Emily's waist as he joined her in looking down on the girls.

"Do you know, I think it's pretty safe to say that we make beautiful babies together Mrs. Hotchner."

Emily tipped her head back against his shoulder and smiled warmly.

"I agree Mr. Hotchner. I totally agree."

**End-**

**A/N: Stay tuned to this space for Dave and Teresa's wedding, coming next.**

**C is for...**

**Please review with the conveniently placed link right under these words. I love to know what you think and it makes me type faster and update quicker. **


	3. C is for Creative Chaos

**A/N: Yay! They gave my work to someone else to handle. More time for writing. **

**I have to admit I nearly squeal with excitement every time I see an alert telling me I have a review in my inbox. You guys make my minutes, hours, days and here, now; I really just want to say THANK YOU to greengirl82, Hazmatt, Wtiger5 (for A & B), megameighteen, HGRHfan35 and HPforever-after.**

**Rated T adult themes and a little bit of chaos. **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds at all, although they do own me and I do own Carrie and Toby, Chloe and India, Kelly and Brad and Ben. **

Creative Chaos

Emily frowned as she looked down at her abdomen. When she'd gone to sleep the night before, she was certain she was just a bit bloated as she frowned at how her tummy was poking out. Yet this morning, with adequate time for the bloating to have subsided, she found herself wondering if she'd somehow put on even more weight since she went to bed.

"Hey love, you're going to be late to Teresa's if you don't leave now. What's wrong?"

She took a deep breath in, watching her abdomen closely, and sighed tiredly.

"Did you see that?"

"Mmm, sexy baby belly. Though by the frown on your face, I'm wondering if I actually saw what you wanted me to see."

"I'm only ten weeks pregnant. Do we agree on this fact?"

Aaron nodded slowly, a wary look on his face. "Yes."

"Then why has my belly popped out so radically in the last 24 hours? You spent a good half an hour kissing and caressing and generally saying hello to the baby yesterday afternoon. Was I, or was I not, still flat in that moment?"

He settled back on his heels and frowned slightly as he thought. Then he blinked and frowned at the bare skin he could see.

"Breathe in again for me please."

She did that and smiled dryly as his eyes grew huge and a slightly dismayed look came over his face.

"Now we're on the same page. I'm betting $50 that it's twins again. Doc Lewis said that it was rare for what happened with Chloe and India to just look like a normally pregnancy the whole way through. She also said that having twins the first time is not a guarantee against having a second set and that if I suddenly popped out overnight, that was a pretty good indication."

Aaron groaned softly. "Like we don't have enough fun with the three children we have now."

Emily smiled wryly. "Jack will be thrilled."

"I wonder if he'll still be thrilled when Mirkal marries our nanny and takes her away just as he's gaining more siblings."

She raised an eyebrow. "Do you know something I don't?"

"Not at all. But I see how he looks at her and I know he's kicking himself for letting her go the first time. He won't hesitate this time when the time is right and I doubt that will be more than six months down the track."

She sighed again. "You're probably right about that. Who on earth is going to want to come in to help with two sets of twins under 18 months and an active seven year old?"

He suddenly grinned. "Maybe we're being overly hasty. You could just have lots of fluid there."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Aaron Hotchner, I'm going to forget that you said that because I don't want to have to kill you today." She looked back at her tummy. "Maybe I should shift the ultrasound appointment forward by a couple of weeks. I know if I explain it, the doctor will understand since we've already been through this scenario."

"Seriously, don't borrow trouble today of all days. We're both running late now, cause I can hear Dave and the guys downstairs. You need to skedaddle."

She giggled at his use of the word she had only ever used around the children and he moved closer with a smile that was turning heated as he brushed his fingers lightly up her arm and across her chest above her bra.

His lips caressed hers lightly, but she pulled back and forced her mind to focus.

"There was a reason for my considerable concern over the extra weight in my abdomen."

"Mmm?"

She doubted he was paying that much attention as his lips brushed down her neck.

"Aaron, the gown I need to wear today is fitted. And I seriously doubt that, as excellent as Matilda is with last-minute alterations, she can get that much extra fabric out of that dress."

He froze as the implications of her words sank in. Pulling back, he studied her face before shaking his head slightly.

"Then you really need to get a move on so you can deal with it before Teresa panics. She's nervous enough as it is thinking Dave's going to change his mind at the last minute. We all know he won't, but trying to tell her that doesn't work."

"I seriously doubt much fazes that woman after years of dealing with Dave but you're right; I should get a move on because I have noticed the nerves; I just didn't realise what was driving them. Carrie's probably waiting for me already anyway and it's not fair to keep everyone else waiting."

She was matron of honour to Aaron's best man. Dave also had Reid and Derek standing with him today as he married the woman he clearly adored. On Teresa's side were two other women she had never met, two of Teresa's closest friends from Cleveland. She'd spoken with them numerous times on the phone though, and she was looking forward to their first meeting later that morning.

As she pulled her sweater on and tugged her hair out from under the collar she added, "I'm so glad this is an afternoon wedding."

Aaron nodded agreement as he crossed the room to get the ringing phone. It was only just after 5 in the morning and he was sure it wasn't good news as he answered.

Emily shook her head slightly as she gently stroked the swell of her abdomen. If they ended up having another set of twins, she figured she'd finally stop worrying about all the extra space they'd have in the house. But if she did have two more babies, she and Aaron were going to have a serious talk about abstinence in the aftermath of their birth.

"Em, Teresa was just on the phone and she doesn't sound too good. You need to head off and give her a call on your way."

She grimaced and kissed him quickly. "I'll see you this afternoon handsome."

She grabbed her bag and rushed out of the room and down the stairs. Carrie was leaning against the front door while the guys waited in the hall chatting with her.

"Where are the kids? It seems far too quiet for the hour."

Carrie grinned as Emily pulled out her phone and her keys. "Elizabeth and Thomas arrived in town a couple of days ago. The intention was to spend time with the family and it just worked out perfectly. They have Toby and their grandkids for the day and Emily and I get a clear run to ensure that your day is perfect."

Dave smiled. "That makes perfect sense to me."

"We need to go now, so you boys have fun and stay out of trouble."

"I don't intend to get into any trouble at all," Reid intoned seriously, causing everyone around him to roll their eyes. The girls left the guys ribbing the youngest of their group.

Emily dialled and put the phone to her ear as she held out the keys. "Could you drive for me please?"

"Emily! Thank God. Tell me you're almost here?"

"I'm sorry; we're only just leaving." Emily jumped as Teresa let out a wail of despair. The look Carrie shot her said the other woman had also heard the cry and now they were both worried. "Honey, calm down and tell me what's wrong."

"I'm standing outside the cathedral where we're meant to be getting married today and there's police crime tape everywhere and police officers here telling me no one is going to be entering this building for the next few days at least."

"Whoa, okay. Did you drive there?"

"No, I couldn't sleep so I went for a run. What are we going to do?"

"Breathe for a start. Honey, you need to calm down. This isn't good for you and it certainly isn't good for the baby."

She listened to Teresa's shaky attempts to calm down, softly encouraging her once she'd redirected Carrie to pick the other woman up.

"Okay, that's better. It'll take us about half an hour to get there, so try and find somewhere warm to wait or better yet, head home and we'll meet you there. I'll attempt to find out what's going on from this end."

"O...okay. Sorry; I've just been really nervous wondering if Dave's going to cancel at the last minute and now with something being wrong at the church I'm certain he's going to cancel on me and..."

"Teresa!" Emily snapped sharply, causing the younger woman to stop. "I'm hanging up now. And when Dave calls you in the next two minutes, you're going to answer the phone and you're going to believe him when he reassures you. In addition to this, you're going to calm down and lean on me, your matron of honour, like you're supposed to. Are we clear on all of this?"

"Yes," she said in a small voice.

"Very good. Remember we love you and we'll see you soon. Message me if you decide to head home; otherwise we'll meet you outside the cathedral."

She hung up and rolled her neck as Carrie said, "That sounds complicated."

"Like you wouldn't believe. How do you find a cathedral and redirect everything there for a wedding with less than twelve hours to get it all arranged?"

"Oh dear. Maybe we should call the girls in to help. It sounds like you'll need it."

She nodded agreement as Dave finally answered his phone.

New Section

They exchanged a quick look of dismay at what they saw as the cathedral Dave and Teresa had chosen for their special day came into view. Police were everywhere, as were crime scene technicians and unfortunately on top of everything else, there were reporters hovering around outside of the tape.

"It always looks a bit like a circus to me," Carrie murmured as she pulled the car over.

Emily nodded agreement and scanned the crowd for their bride. Teresa appeared out of the spectators that had also gathered and jogged toward them, climbing into the back of the car and sighing wearily.

Emily and Carrie turned to her as she explained, "I spoke with Father Vercelli. Apparently one of their parishioners was found murdered in the late hours of last evening. The entire grounds are closed off to everyone until the police have finished their investigation. He is incredibly apologetic and has promised that if we can find somewhere else for the wedding, he will come to wherever it is and he will still marry us. Even if it is a church of another religion or some other venue with no religious background."

"Okay, so that's workable," Carrie said encouragingly with a look at Emily, who was nodding slowly.

"I agree. We can work around this. But we are definitely going to need all the phones we can muster with some willing volunteers once we sort out the new venue in order to alert all your guests in time. And since we can't do that so early, the least we can do is wake the girls up and get them on their way to your place so we're ready to go."

Teresa looked relieved as she did up her seatbelt and Carrie turned the car around.

New Section

"I hope you have a very, _very_ good reason for waking me up so early," Penelope mumbled with a yawn as she walked into the living room with Kevin in her wake.

"Don't complain; we could have called you two hours ago despite how pointless that would have been at that early hour," Carrie said as she continued checking a list in front of her.

"Why did you call us, and where is superwoman and our gorgeous bride?"

"We called everyone we could think of; you just arrived first so don't think you're the only one we intend to torture. Teresa is currently being comforted by Dave's dulcet tones and Emily is in one of the spare rooms with Matilda as our expert seamstress attempts to find a few extra inches in Emily's dress."

"Why does she need to do that?" JJ asked as she walked in with Will, who was carrying a sleepy Henry in his arms. JJ herself was wide awake.

"Because somehow overnight Emily put on almost four pounds, all of it in her abdomen."

"Is she having twins again?" Penelope asked eagerly, suddenly wide awake despite the early hour.

Carrie shrugged. "It's a thought."

"So what's going to happen when you marry Mirkal?" Jordan asked as she walked in with Austin, Kelly and Brad.

Carrie looked up and raised an eyebrow. "Do you know something I don't?"

"Only that the man is crazy about you."

She smiled a small smile. "At the moment we're just happily dating and I don't think we'll be changing the status quo anytime soon."

"That's a relief to hear," Emily said as she walked in to the room. "Not that I won't be over the moon thrilled for you and Mirkal when it happens, but for now it's too scary to contemplate having to find someone else. Where's Teresa?"

"Still on the phone with Dave. Is there a problem?"

"If by problem you mean the dress can't be altered, then yes; we do have a problem."

Entering the room at that moment, Teresa blanched slightly; the happy smile fell off her face and she sat down heavily when only a moment ago she'd been bouncing with happiness.

Matilda smiled kindly at her. "I'm really sorry Teresa, but it just can't be done. I do have an alternative to offer though. Some brides like their matrons to dress differently; sometimes it is a completely different style of dress, but most often it is just a different shade of the colour. I have the exact same gown you have chosen in a couple of larger sizes that I could easily adjust in time to suit Emily's growing figure; the only difference is that they are three shades darker."

Emily moved to sit on the coffee table in front of Teresa's chair. Taking her friends hands in hers, she assured softly, "It will look lovely and it won't be at all out of place. We can start with Matilda having the dresses brought over and we can go from there. Does that sound alright?"

Teresa took a breath and nodded, and Matilda immediately moved out of the room with her phone to make the request.

"I'm sorry."

"For what honey?"

"I promised myself I wasn't going to be one of those high-maintenance brides who needs her hand held through the whole process. Now I'm turning into just that. You must think I'm terrible right now."

Emily smiled gently. "Not at all. You've been given a couple of hard knocks but you're bouncing back and we'll get there in the end. Have you and Dave given any thought to where else you might get married?"

"Father Vercelli made a couple of suggestions, but Dave has phoned them all and they aren't free. So getting married in a cathedral in this city today is out."

"Okay. What did Dave suggest?"

A ghost of an amused smile touched Teresa's lips. "After we got done discussing it, the verdict was that in the end, he doesn't care and neither do I; as long as we are together."

Everyone agreed that was a good attitude to have and Teresa sat up straighter and started looking happier again.

Austin's hand came up slowly. "Do you know, there's a hotel about 15 minutes from here with a grand ballroom that looks like a cathedral right out of the olden days. I can't remember off the top of my head what it's called, but I would know it on sight."

"Oooh, lets Google it," Carrie said with a beaming smile just as Emily's phone rang.

She checked the number and smiled. "This'll be the florist confirming the order. Hello?"

She walked out of the room slowly as she listened, but by her very stance and despite her silence, everyone knew instinctively that something else had gone wrong. They waited with bated breath until she returned.

"Okay that was the florist saying they double booked us with another wedding they're catering to and they don't have nearly enough roses for what we requested." Seeing Teresa's hopeful smile disappear, Emily lifted a hand quickly and continued. "_But_ because they are incredibly sorry about the mix-up, they are already in the process of sourcing somewhere else to help us out and they will not only cover any additional costs incurred, but they will also waive the fees they normally charge for a last minute change of venue."

Teresa relaxed. "So it's going to be alright? We'll have enough roses?"

"Even if I have to take a drive to mother's city estate and prune her prized roses myself."

Teresa smiled and quite a few of the girls giggled just as a cheery voice called, "Honey we're heeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrre!"

Teresa bounced up and flew out of the room with a happy laugh and Emily relaxed.

Carrie looked at her and said wryly, "What's the bet the caterer has an issue next?"

Emily rolled her eyes. "I was thinking pretty high, so I called them to check when I got off with the florist. They only have the reception to cover for today, so there aren't any scheduling difficulties to get around. I also called the venue for the reception and they are still good to go after we got finished with the decorations yesterday morning."

"So we just have to hope for the roses and source the ceremony venue."

"And deal with the gown."

"And deal with the gown. It all _sounds_ doable, but I'm sitting here waiting for the other shoe to drop."

Emily decided to change the subject. "Any luck with finding the ballroom?"

"Mmm, Austin is on the phone to them now to see if they are available. She did point out a need for enough chairs, but the thought was that we could see if the hotel had them if the ballroom is available."

"Yes!" Austin shouted as Teresa returned to the room with her arms linked with her two friends. "The ballroom is available _all_ day today, they have plenty of chairs for the numbers we've got and the best thing is, the manager was totally sympathetic and will let you have it for free because I said we'll do all the decorating _and_ the cleaning up afterwards."

Everyone cheered and Teresa hurried over to see the pictures of the room as Emily introduced herself to Tessa and Marlene. Once they were sure that Teresa was happy with the look of the room, they called Dave to tell him to have a look at the site as well. When he indicated he was happy with that, they hung up and turned to the task of calling everyone.

"Right," Penelope said. "I've grouped everyone by accommodation, which allows us to make just a few calls as opposed to potentially hundreds. Messages can be left with the concierge desk as long as we stress the urgency of the messages getting to their intended targets by noon _today_."

"Works for me, considering we need to get over to the ballroom soonest so we can get it set up in time."

"Right, everyone take a list and start dialling."

New Section

Emily smiled as she stepped back from Teresa. The panicky woman from early that morning had disappeared into the confident bride standing ready in front of her.

"Do you think Dave will like the dress?"

_Well, mostly confident anyway._

"He's going to simply love the dress Reese, you don't have a thing to worry about," Marlene assured her.

"And if he does have a problem with it, send him my way and I'll sort him out for you," Tessa added with an impish grin.

Emily laughed and soothed a hand over her abdomen. "He'll love it because you're wearing it, but don't be surprised if the Italian father-to-be in him spends the entire afternoon and evening insinuating on how much fun he's going to have getting you out of it."

"Is that personal experience talking?" Tessa asked curiously.

"Not really; we didn't find out I was pregnant until the week after the wedding, but regardless he was definitely thinking naughty thoughts the whole day."

More laughter heralded that pronouncement as they all moved to check that everything was in place and ready to go for the ceremony due to start in just a few minutes. Already the strains of the old fashioned organ Penelope had found somewhere and hired for the afternoon could be heard filling the room underneath them. The part Teresa had loved the most about the room? The gorgeous staircase she got to walk down from this room they were getting ready in as part of her bridal march.

Teresa had opted to have her hair pulled up into an elegant chignon, with a crown of delicately thin snowflakes on her head. What took the crown from tacky to simply stunning were the myriad tiny, perfectly cut, diamonds filling up each flake and causing the light to flare beautifully as it struck the piece. Larger diamonds hung from her ears and her necklace.

The dress was stunning and perfect for winter. From the square cut neckline down to the waist of the gown the dress was a solid wall of appliqué both front and back. The long sleeves flared slightly at the elbows to fall wide around her wrists and was see-through except where additional appliqué traced delicate patterns out to the edge of the fabric. The ball gown shaped bell of the skirt was satin and appliqué traced more delicate patterns around the bottom edges of the dress. The whole dress was white, slightly vintage, and perfectly Teresa.

The whole effect was enough to make them all sigh with longing at the same time which led to more laughter just as there was a knock at the door. Emily opened it up and smiled warmly at Teresa's father standing on the other side.

"Show time ladies."

First Emily, then Tessa and finally Marlene descended, holding their bouquets and smiling as they fought the urge to look down and watch their footing on the unfamiliar set of stairs. Then the music changed and everyone stood as they turned to watch Teresa descend on her father's arm, her smile radiant as she caught sight of Dave.

Both halves of the couple were entirely oblivious to everyone around them as they gazed into each others eyes. And when it came to the end, Dave didn't wait for the priest to give him permission to kiss his wife. Sliding his hands down her arms, he stepped into her space and leaned down as she lifted her face with a soft smile. Her arms came up around his neck as his hands settled at the small of her back.

Everyone gave them just a couple of seconds before the cheering and whistling started and as they pulled back from each other, they silently acknowledged that their 12 year journey to this point, though fraught with tension, arguments and several near-breakups, was completely worth it.

_They_ were worth it.

**End-**

**A/N: Stay tuned to this space to find out what one thing Penelope Garcia-Lynch simply can't deal with seeing.**

**D is for...**

**Please review with the conveniently placed link right under these words. I love to know what you think and it makes me type faster and update quicker. **


	4. D is for DVDs PG Shouldn't Be Watching

**A/N: Just a short and sweet one that has been on my mind since I started this new alphabet.**

**I'm really glad to have you all along on this crazy ride with me. Your encouraging words keep me writing and I'd just like to say a big thank you to megameighteen, Hazmatt, NicknHotchfan, greengirl82 and HPforever-after for making me feel like what I'm doing really counts for something and is entertaining to boot.**

**Rated T for adult themes. **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds at all, although they do own me and I do own Carrie and Toby, Chloe and India, Kelly and Brad and Ben. **

DVDs PG Shouldn't Be Watching

Aaron opened the door and smiled at the LaMontagne's.

"I am so sorry we're late. Henry had a last minute accident."

"Don't worry about it. Kevin messaged a few minutes ago saying they were only just leaving so you aren't the last to arrive. How _is_ the potty training going on the whole?"

Will set Henry on his feet and helped him with his jacket as JJ rolled her eyes.

"It's still a bit hit and miss, but he's going for longer periods before he forgets so I'd say we're making slow progress."

"Well if you want any pointers, let me know. I still remember Jack's training well."

He led them into the dining room, where two tables had been set up; the main dining table for the adults and a small table to the side for Jack, Toby and Henry.

Leaving them with the rest of their guests, he headed upstairs to join Emily while they settled Chloe and India in their cribs for the night. The girls would hopefully sleep through the mid-December Christmas dinner they were having before they all split up for the holidays. And once dinner was over and the younger boys were settled in the den with their chosen movie, the adults would settle in the living room for a little adult conversation. But first they needed the girls to settle and the last of their guests to arrive.

Ten minutes later they returned to the dining room as Kevin led Penelope into the room. Quite literally, as the normally bubbly blonde was wearing a blindfold and was definitely not smiling. Silence fell as everyone tried to figure out what was going on.

"Umm," JJ said hesitantly as they all did an eye version of hot-potato to figure out which of them was brave enough to ask.

When everyone ended up staring at him intently, Derek groaned silently.

"Baby girl, what's going on?"

"I have been blinded by the most horrific sight of my life."

"Okay," he said slowly. "Despite that, I'm sure you still have gorgeous eyes under that covering. So what's the deal?"

"I figure if I can't see anything, maybe the image will disappear."

"How's that working for you?" Dave asked dryly, causing Teresa to nudge him and mouth 'be nice'.

"It's not working yet, but it will. Even if I have to cut my eyes out."

"Kevin, do you know what happened?" Emily asked cautiously.

"All I know is that she went to one of those birthing classes this afternoon and ever since she got home she's been like this."

Emily exchanged a look with JJ, seeing the same thought dawning. They both looked at Jordan, who was nodding slowly.

"It makes sense," she murmured softly.

"You want to clue us in babe?" Derek asked.

Jordan opened her mouth, then closed it. It was JJ who said it.

"Did you happen to watch a certain dvd today in class PG?"

"Yes, and I'm never watching dvds _ever_ again. It was far too traumatic for words."

"You do know it's _just_ a dvd right?" Emily asked carefully.

Penelope grabbed hold of the blindfold and ripped it off to gape as her friend.

"_Just_ a dvd? Just a _dvd?_ You say that, after nearly dying doing _just_ that and it's _just_ a dvd?"

"Penelope take a breath and calm down. It's not good for the baby for you to be so worked up."

Penelope turned such a look on Kevin that he scooted his chair back from her abruptly.

"Do you have _any_ idea what I went through this afternoon. I'm _pregnant_, and I'm going to have to _birth_ this baby. Have you ever seen that happen?"

"Ah no sugarplum, I can't say that I have."

"Pregnant implies the baby is _inside_ my womb. But during labour she's going to come out of a tiny little hole that will only expand by _so_ much."

"And when the time comes you'll do it well," Austin assured her.

Penelope turned to her and asked flatly, "Have you seen the dvd yet? The one where it shows you, in graphic detail I might add, how a baby comes out of the woman's body. Have you _seen_ it yet?"

Austin nodded slowly. "I did, because I was curious. But I'm already booked in for a c-section because the potential complications could kill us both."

"So you _voluntarily_ watched that dvd? Are you insane?" she shouted.

Emily winced. "Look, clearly it was traumatic..."

"Traumatic! You're kidding right? I have to push something the size of a _watermelon_ that is alive and wriggling out of my body; how is that _not_ traumatic?"

"...but please stop shouting?"

"Baby girl; how have you gone your whole life without knowing how babies are born?"

"Oooh, don't you 'baby girl' me Derek Morgan. Of _course_ I knew where babies come from and how they are born..."

"Then what's the big deal? You're having a beautiful baby girl and you're worried about something that may or may not be traumatic? If I were you, I'd be thinking about how great it's going to be holding that baby in your arms for the first time; having her snuggle into you because your dulcet tones are familiar and comforting to her where nothing else is. Traumatic? Definitely. But for her, not for you. For you it's the culmination of all your dreams come true. Fantastic husband and beautiful baby. What more could you possibly ask for or ever worry about ever again after that?"

Penelope stared at the man she'd had more than a few fantasies over through the years; well at least until she'd started going out with Kevin and Jordan came properly on the scene. He'd never steered her wrong before and seeing the sincerity in his eyes now, she somehow figured he wasn't steering her wrong now.

She nodded slowly and settled back in the chair. "Fine; I'll calm down. But it was still gross."

"Reid watched it with me and passed out," Austin said brightly as Reid went red and attempted to shush her.

"I seriously thought Derek was going to throw up when it was happening," Jordan threw in helpfully as her husband shot her a dirty look.

Dave saw the considering look on Teresa's face and shook his head. "Don't even think it Cara Mia. There will be no pain and no traumatic complications for me to deal with. It's just going to happen peacefully, so there's no need for either of us to be watching dvds and getting ideas."

Teresa burst out laughing as everyone at the table settled in to rib Dave and Emily rose to get the meal started.

**End-**

**A/N: Who wants to bet that Dave gets his peaceful delivery now that I've set him up so beautifully? Ha ha...**

**Stay tuned as the team returns to work in the new year and they meet the first of the maternity replacements Strauss has sent them to choose from. Also, find out for sure if Emily and Aaron are having twins again.**

**E is for...**

**Please review with the conveniently placed link right under these words. I love to know what you think and it makes me type faster and update quicker. **


	5. E is for Emma & Esther

**A/N: Okay, so this one is answering the question of whether Emily is having twins again. And the maternity replacements arrive to be considered.**

**The gorgeous Wtiger5 was concerned about my twisty frame of mind after drama-filled C and considering my promises to completely avoid the drama. So just in case anyone else was concerned about the same thing, I just thought I'd take a second to reassure you all. This is me, and I can't completely stop the drama; I can however promise that no one will come away injured anywhere in the remaining 22 chapters (or at least not the good guys). There may be a bit of drama but I will always immediately follow it with some humour and off course even I in my brilliance (or lack thereof) can't pull of 5 birthing experiences without some drama. But there will be more fun and humour than anything else, this I CAN promise you. **

**WOW! The response in reviews after the last chapter was everything I'd hoped for and more. I'm glad you liked it and that the humour was clearly there for you all. Many, many thanks to lolyncut (for A & D), Hazmatt, HGRHfan35 (for C & D), greengirl82, HPforever-after, megameighteen, melodic2686 and Wtiger5 (for C & D). I put off opening the reviews immediately and used them as a reward at the end of the day and it was just wonderful. Thank you all for your support.**

**Rated M for adult themes and a touch of language. **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds at all, although they do own me and I do own Carrie and Toby, Chloe and India, Kelly and Brad and Ben. **

Emma & Esther

Aaron silently closed his office door as fast as he'd opened it and pressed up against the wall as he attempted to breathe his racing heart into slowing down. He was glad it was early yet and no one else was here. Yet at the same time, he wished there were dozens of agents surrounding him so he'd be less tempted to pull out his gun and wave it around to make his point.

Remembering that he'd seen Dave's car in the parking lot a few minutes ago, he walked to his friends office and started to slip inside, only to stop when he realised the other man was on the phone. But Dave smiled dryly at him and gestured him to a chair.

"I'm not joking Cara Mia, I swear I'm not. In fact, I'm pretty certain that Aaron could easily back me up if he remembers how to breathe properly." Aaron tipped his head slightly to the side as air shuddered up out of his lungs. "Well, the second I saw her in here, I of course asked her what she thought she was doing. When she informed me she was waiting for the boss to arrive so she could be interviewed for the maternity vacancy, I raised an eyebrow in a fairly clear way of asking her to elaborate on that comment. She pulled out a legitimate id and said she had been sent to be considered for the vacancy."

_Maybe I should call Emily and tell her the same thing, _before_ it gets back to her blown well out of proportion. Though how that would be possible I've no clue._

"I'm guessing you've been in your office?"

He shot Dave a dirty look as he realised the older man's call had finished. "Yeah, thanks for palming her off to me."

"Well, you _are_ the boss. Although maybe you should step down for the day and let Morgan handle things."

He snorted. "Please; I'm not alienating anyone to the point where they decide to leave and I have to interview more of them like her. Does she even have paperwork to go with her valid id?"

"Sadly she does, all signed off by Erin Strauss. Do you think it's punishment for being in debt til we die on our sick leave entitlements after the last year?"

"I wouldn't put it past her," he muttered as the call he'd placed finally connected.

"Hello?"

"Em I'm sorry. I only just remembered you were sleeping in this morning."

"Keep it short and sweet and I can still sleep in," she mumbled in that husky sleep-filled voice that without fail turned him on.

"Why do you have to be so damn sexy?"

She laughed softly and it just fuelled the uncomfortable ache growing in his groin. "Aaron, if you only called to have me turn you on, feel free to dump work and come home. But if you called for another reason, please get to it; this mamma-to-be needs her beauty rest."

He snorted. "Please; nothing you could do could ever make you more beautiful." Silence fell for several long seconds and he was beginning to think she'd fallen back asleep when he heard a couple of sniffles. He sighed softly. "Please don't cry kitten. You know I don't handle it well."

"I'm sorry; it's just, when you go around saying stuff like that it's just so incredibly sweet. I wish you were here so I could show my appreciation."

"Store it up for tonight baby; I'm most likely going to need it desperately by then."

She was losing the husky edge to her voice and his sigh this time was internal as he realised he'd well and truly woken her up now.

"This is leading back in to the reason you called right?"

"Mmm. I wanted you to hear it from me, before you hear it from someone else who completely blows the truth out of the water."

"Okay, now I'm intrigued. What gives?"

He took a deep breath in and let it out in a rush as he said rapidly, "There is a half-naked woman in my office waiting for me."

Dave snorted and he realised his friend was trying to hold in laughter. He reached out for a piece of paper and wadded it up to throw it as he added, "And Dave set me up for it."

"Hey!"

"Okay, slow that down Aaron because I'm pretty certain I heard you say something about a half-naked woman and your office and if that's the case we have a problem cause I am the only woman allowed in your office naked, half or otherwise."

"Don't I just wish you were here and naked in my office right now," he muttered as he shifted again. Seeing Dave start to blush, he felt marginally better.

"Focus Aaron; nothing you just said got you away from the edge of the hole you are skimming. Half-naked woman and your office?"

He sighed again. "I did. The first of the maternity replacements was already here waiting for her interview when I arrived. I opened the door not realising she was there so it was nice and quiet, which allowed me to close it without her noticing me."

"And what exactly is she wearing?"

"You know that slinky blue teddy you have that always makes me crazy?" When she murmured her affirmative he added, "I doubt that the dress she's wearing covers as much as that teddy does."

"And she works for the FBI?"

"Apparently. I didn't stick around to sight her id but Dave did and he's nodding at me."

"So tell her she's not an appropriate replacement and send her on her way. It's that simple."

"Emily," he chided gently, "You're a profiler babe. When a woman appears in a man's office dressed like that and with her legs crossed so that the skirt appears even shorter, what do you think she's going to do next?"

Emily sighed. "Do you want me to come and rescue you?"

He sighed too. "No babe; you try and go back to sleep. I'll drag Dave in with me for accountability so that she can't scream harassment later..."

"Hey!"

"...and I'll see you when you come in for lunch."

"Alright." She was laughing as she said it though and he was relieved by the knowledge that she believed in him enough to trust him with this. "Try not to traumatise Dave too much; if I hear about this from Teresa, there'll be some feathers that will need soothing and I'll be sending her in your direction."

"Thanks," he said dryly. "I love you too."

She laughed again and hung up on him. He turned his back to the wall and leaned against it.

"God I love that woman."

"Aaron, the world knows you love that woman." He turned to the window and nodded his head to it. "For now though, Reid looks close to passing out and Derek is as close as I've ever seen him get to being physically violent with a woman."

He joined Dave at the window to see the unknown woman seated on the edge of Derek's desk, flashing her underwear as she swung her stiletto-covered foot seemingly casually and ran her fingers down his arm.

"What's the bet she's already met Reid's awkwardness around women and moved on to Derek, only to see him flash his left hand and tell her to back off?"

"Clearly we can add stupid to our description of her."

Jordan suddenly appeared with Ben in her arms at the door to the bullpen. Derek turned, though it was clear that Reid hadn't spotted her yet and smiled with so much warmth and relief that they could see it clearly. Jordan raised an eyebrow and moved in through the desks.

"I should probably get down there now."

Dave sighed. "Since you dobbed me in to Emily, you charge, and I'll cover your back."

"Thanks. It's nice to know how this friendship works."

They moved out of his office and along the landing to the stairs.

"Absolutely. Our every action is fuelled by the thought of 'what if the other man's wife finds out and I get into trouble?'. Somehow it just works for us."

Aaron laughed outright, knowing that there was no way they were keeping 'agent hooker', _whatever_ her name turned out to be. And he was now okay with telling her that, thanks to his wife and his best friend.

"Hey Jordan. What brings you back to our side of life?"

She smiled at him, though it was slightly tight at the corners as she flicked a look back at the woman half-draped over her husbands' desk.

"Hey Hotch. I'm here for some exit interview or other now that all my leave it used up. Then there's some final paperwork and my job title officially becomes 'mother extraordinaire'. Do you mind if Derek keeps Ben? Just for the next hour and then we'll be right out of your hair."

"Honey, you and Ben are more than welcome to visit whenever you like. I've got no problem with that. In fact, Morgan and Reid, why don't you walk Jordan to wherever her interview is and return when she's done."

Reid didn't have to be told twice, nearly tripping over his crutches in his haste to get up from the desk. Derek hesitated though and asked softly, "Do you need me to stay and guard your back?"

Aaron snorted softly. "Did you not see the look on Jordan's face when she first caught a look at you and that woman? Give Ben to Reid and do what you can to reassure her. Oh and let her know that the as-yet unnamed woman feeling you up won't be sticking around longer than it takes me to tell her not only no, but _hell no_."

He hesitated another moment, then nodded and turned to walk Jordan out, Ben happily chattering in his ear as they went.

Taking a deep breath, Aaron turned and was repulsed by the look in the woman's eyes as she stepped in and lifted a hand to his chest. He was on the verge of showing his fear of her and stepping back when her hand was grabbed and she was forced back the step she'd just taken.

A familiar scent enveloped him even as he recognised the rings and the hand and something tight released just slightly in his gut.

"I hope you weren't going to touch him, because if you were I might just be forced to do something that I would later regret."

"Just who the hell do you think you are?"

"Maybe the better question is who you think you are to be laying your hands on the boss?"

The woman pulled herself up to her full height in the heels and settled her shoulders back, pushing her chest out. Aaron finally allowed himself that step, feeling nausea beginning to churn in his stomach as Emily shifted to stand in front of him and he'd never loved her more in that moment.

"I am Agent Emma Merriwan."

"And your purpose for being here?"

"I'm here to interview with SSAIC Aaron Hotchner."

"Then you should have dressed like an actual FBI agent and you shouldn't have hit on the entire male compliment of the team. It pretty much ensured you'd fail to even make your interview, let alone being considered for the role."

She tossed her long hair as a haughty look came over her face. "Which takes me back to the original question of just who the hell you think you are?"

"Supervisory Special Agent Emily _Hotchner_. Aaron has a brother but no sisters, so I wonder who the hell that actually makes me?"

"Not the boss, that's for sure."

"Thank God for that," Dave said fervently.

"Aaron?" Emily asked softly.

"Thanks Agent Merriwan, but Emily's right. You failed to make the grade. Excuse me."

He walked quickly out of the bullpen, knowing Emily and Dave would keep Emma from following. He was running by the time he passed the confused-looking young woman in the hall.

"Can you help..."

New Section

"...me?"

Esther watched him disappear through a door down the hall. She knew that look all too well and she hesitated as she checked her watch. She knew she was ridiculously early because she was nervous and she wanted this role, temporary though it was, so badly. Because it could launch her career in the BAU, something she'd wanted desperately since joining the FBI.

So she had time.

"Shit," she whispered as her soft heart got the better of her and she walked in the direction he'd just gone. "You'll never learn if you keep making the same mistakes over and over again." She hesitated again as she looked at the sign for the men's toilets; the only thing she could hear was the sound of someone being violently ill and so she took a gamble and slipped inside silently, fully prepared to slip back out as fast as she'd gone in if there was someone else in there.

But he was alone as he lost the contents of his stomach over a toilet bowl and after another quick look around, she grabbed a couple of paper towels, wet them and moved forward. Making sure they weren't going to drip all over his sensible black suit, she eased them down on the back of his neck and was utterly startled at the speed of his reaction as he pushed back from the toilet and grabbed her wrist hard.

_Oh my; even sick he's not going to be taken easily._

She waited patiently as he took her in, staying still except for shifting her free hand slowly into view.

"Easy there. My name is Esther and I just wanted to try to make this a bit easier for you. I'll leave if I've truly made you uncomfortable."

Several long seconds passed in continued silence before his grip on her eased, then released entirely. She forced a wince down deep as her wrist twinged painfully so she turned to run it under some cold water at the sink. Drying her hands a minute later, she decided he could be sick on his own because it really hurt.

"I'm sorry for hurting you."

His quiet words had her halting as a slight shiver ran down her spine, his voice one that would either caress over your body in seductive tones, or rip you to shreds if he shifted his tone just slightly. She knew voices enough to know this man was dangerous, but considering she could see his security tag playing peek-a-boo with the bottom of his unbuttoned jacket, she figured he was only dangerous to those he was hunting.

_And since he's not hunting _you_ girlfriend..._

She eased down into a crouch and smiled slightly. "I'm sorry for startling you. I should have known better, but I knew someone who was sick all the time and he said having something cool and damp on the back of his neck often helped him feel better faster. That was all I intended."

"Well, at least he wasn't lying. I feel like I owe you an explanation for the bruises I can already see coming up and since the nausea is still threatening, if you've got a minute here..."

She checked the floor for cleanliness before easing herself down to it the rest of the way. Leaning back against the wall of the toilet stall, she shifted her bag out of the way and gave him her full attention.

"My name is Aaron. About seven months ago, I had a nervous breakdown after a near-tragedy of epic proportions within my family. I've been seeing a doctor since then who has been helping me to work through the issues that had built up over my lifetime but as you can imagine, it's taking a while to work through over 40 years of issues."

"Really? You have issues? I never would have guessed," she said solemnly, though she knew her eyes danced with mirth.

He saw that and made a face at her but he was smiling slightly and seemed a little more relaxed now. "Despite months of therapy, I'm still a little emotionally fragile, though you may not discuss that with anyone except my wife and my best friend. Just before I buzzed past you, something occurred that pushed one of the buttons we've been working through recently. My reaction to that particular button is either to retreat into silence until I can sort it out in my own head or until my wife gets a hold of me and seduces me out of the grip of it..."

Esther shared his smile, seeing clearly that he loved the woman that gold band on his left ring finger represented.

"...or else I feel so threatened by the situation that my stomach rolls and I end up either in here throwing up or in here passed out on the floor."

"I'm guessing it doesn't happen often?"

"Not yet, though I know from experience that it will get worse before it gets better. I just can't afford any more time off for the rest of my working lifetime."

"Sounds like you haven't had an easy time of it. What happened today exactly?" she added hesitantly.

He sighed quietly and carefully settled back against the opposite wall.

"We're interviewing for maternity replacements within my team at the moment; of the seven team members, three are women and all three of them are pregnant."

"Yikes; that's real timely of them."

He grinned at her and she smiled back as she ordered her heart to behave; his wife was a _very_ lucky woman.

"It is, isn't it? Anyway, one of them was already on maternity leave and had been replaced with the first pregnancy, but she's going to require additional time off so we'll be keeping her replacement on. Of the other two women, one of them is our technical analyst and she's already got a replacement, so we just need one more to replace our media liaison.

"Anyway, the one from this morning arrived dressed like a hooker and intent on seducing at least one of us males on the team, despite all of us being married. The look in her eyes and the way she spoke to me..."

"Was enough to send you here."

"Yes. I wasn't sexually abused as a child, but the physical abuse I did receive..."

"Yes; I can understand that. I'm sorry you've had such a hard morning. Was the hooker woman an actual agent?"

"Do you know; that's the really sad part about this whole thing. She was actually recommended to us by our section chief. I shudder to think who her other choice was. I've got..." he stopped long enough to check the time, "...just under an hour to pull it together enough to get through the second interview."

Esther smiled slightly as she put it all together, but hid the smile as she eased up to her feet.

"I'm sure your other candidate can't be that bad."

"Time will tell."

"Mmm, I'm sure it will. It was nice meeting you. I'm sure I'll see you about."

"Esther," he called to her when she was about to leave. The door shifted under her hand and she stepped back out of the way as an older man stepped into the room. He looked surprised to see her, but called softly to a woman on the other side who quickly slipped into the room and over to the man who'd stopped her.

"Thank you for making that easier for me and again, I'm sorry for hurting you. It was never my intention."

A sudden impish spirit took hold of her and she grinned. "Well, just you remember that in just under an hour when you interview me as Erin Strauss' second maternity replacement candidate."

She was halfway out the door when he called her name again. She turned with a raised brow to find he was standing with an arm around the woman.

"You're _that_ Esther? SA Esther Santoro?"

She held her hands out to the sides with a slightly dramatic flourish. "That's me."

He nodded slowly. "You're hired. When can you start?"

"When do you want me to start?"

"Would tomorrow suit you?"

"Sounds perfect to me."

"Dave, can you please show Esther where she's going and introduce her to JJ and the rest of the team. Also, make sure she's got clearance to all sections of our floor."

"Sure thing Aaron. Just, do me a favour and let Emily take you away for the rest of the morning. I'll keep the dragon lady from figuring it out if she comes looking for you."

His gaze shifted to the woman at his side and he smiled warmly. "Deal."

Dave nodded and turned to her as he offered his hand. "I'm SSA David Rossi. Welcome to the team."

She smiled happily as she shook his hand. "I'm curious Agent Rossi."

"Call me Dave. What are you curious about?"

"Exactly who is the dragon lady?"

"The esteemed thorn in all our sides, Erin Strauss."

She nodded slowly as her grin spread. "I'll remember that."

"Smart woman. Now..."

_I might just keep that to myself for now. Yes, I think I will._

New Section

Emily watched the bathroom door close before turning to her husband and tunnelling her fingers gently through his hair.

"Are you alright?"

He closed his eyes and leaned against her soft curves.

"Better now that you're here with me. Esther was good in helping me talk it out, but I kept wishing you'd walk through the door and now that you have..."

"I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner; I was protecting Dave while he got rid of the hooker agent. I just couldn't believe that Strauss had recommended her."

"I know. I'll be having words with her later, that's for sure. Ah, Em; don't get me wrong because I'm really happy you're here, but what are you doing here?"

She shrugged. "I know you can handle yourself and do it well, but you sounded so unsettled and slightly fragile when you phoned and when my concern wouldn't let me go back to sleep, I decided to come see for myself that you were alright."

"Your timing was impeccable."

Her grin made him wish for a toothbrush so he could kiss her.

"Wasn't it though?"

He chuckled softly and let her help him to the sink.

"I am sorry though that I interrupted your sleep-in. You needed it."

She shrugged and settled her hands comfortably across her stomach as she leaned against the bench beside him.

"Carrie just shrugged and suggested I try again tomorrow. Liking that idea, we agreed to it and I left to come to your rescue."

"I'm really glad you did. She made me feel dirty, even though I knew I hadn't done even the slightest thing to encourage her."

"I know," she soothed softly as he dried his hands. She wrapped him up in a hug and smiled up at him. "I left the house without breakfast. So how about we get out of here and you can feed me. Then we'll come back here and I'll take a nap on your couch while you work despite Dave's generous offer before we sneak out of here for the doctor's. How does that sound?"

"Sounds just about perfect to me."

New Section

"Emily?"

Her eyes pulled with great reluctance away from the evidence on the screen in front of her to look at Rebecca Lewis.

She laughed. "I know I'm not as nice to look at, but you'll like what I have to say."

"Do we finally have proof."

"Mmm. There's baby number one and there, tucked just in back, is baby number two. Yes! I _knew _it."

Emily smiled at her vehemence and lifted her eyes to look into Aaron's; seeing all the love and assurance she would ever need, she nodded slowly and turned back to the doctor.

"Let's do this."

**End-**

**A/N: I'm sure most of you already knew that this was where I was going with them, but now you have the proof. Can you imagine? Two sets of twins under 18 months. Oooh I'm evil. And I'm sure you all love it.**

**Stay tuned; F is for...**

**Please review with the conveniently placed link right under these words. I love to know what you think and it makes me type faster and update quicker. **


	6. F is for Freaking Out

**A/N: Brownie points to those of you who picked up on Esther's thoughts; **_I might just keep that to myself for now. Yes, I think I will._** But just so you know, I'm not telling yet what was meant by that. I promise it won't be long before you receive an answer, but it won't be in this chapter. I originally had something else in mind for it, but having just changed my mind, revealing what Esther meant doesn't jibe with my plans. Sorry everyone.**

**I love you guys. I have the worst back pain of my life but there you all are with your reviews and making me smile. I truly appreciate you all and want to say a special thanks to megameighteen, greengirl82, Wtiger5, HGRHfan35, HPforever-after and Hazmatt for dropping me a review. I also want to thank anyone reading my stories and hope that you are also enjoying them. Feel free to drop me a line anytime.**

**Rated T for adult themes.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds at all, although they do own me and I do own Carrie and Toby, Chloe and India, Kelly and Brad and Ben. **

Freaking Out

Emily winced as the front door slammed, and looked down at the sleepy child in her arms.

"Somebody's in trouble India. I wonder who it could be."

She yawned hugely and snuggled deeper into the blanket tucked around her and Emily smothered a laugh just as a second door slammed much closer.

"And of course you don't care one little bit, do you my love? All you want is to take a nap. Well, mummy agrees that this is a great idea, so she's going to settle you down, take a strip off the hide of whoever was making such loud noises and _then_ she's going to put her head down until you and your sister wake up. How does that sound?"

India's only response was a soft snore and Emily melted as she gently kissed her on the top of her head before standing slowly from the rocking chair. At almost 16 weeks pregnant with twins, her balance was shocking and her exhaustion levels were through the roof. Luckily everything was progressing normally this time around and the babies were growing equally but everything just seemed to be so much harder this time around, including the fact that she was already a good deal bigger at this point than she had been last year.

She carefully eased India down in the crib beside Chloe's and tucked the blanket more securely around her youngest. Turning carefully to orient herself, she eased out of the room and listened to the noises in the house. Hearing nothing from her room she turned in the other direction and followed the faint muttering noises coming from Carrie's suite of rooms.

She knocked and waited for almost a minute before knocking a second time. Carrie wrenched the door open a few seconds later and Emily was shocked to see her looking like she was on the verge of tears.

Not waiting for an invitation, she moved into the room and closed the door behind her. She moved to the bed and sat down because standing was far too uncomfortable for long periods of time and patted the spot beside her with a pointed look at Carrie.

"Since you came in slamming doors and generally letting everyone know that you were in a mood, I feel that I am owed an explanation. So come sit down with me and start talking. Cause last time we talked, you were off to a romantic lunch on a short cruise with Mirkal and that doesn't jibe with all the other times you've been out with him. So spill it."

Carrie winced as her shoulders drooped. "I'm sorry Em; did I wake either of the girls?"

"No; thankfully they slept straight through it. But that is besides the point. You were so excited this morning when Mirkal picked you up and now you look like you're going to cry. And since I know Mirkal adores you and you couldn't possibly have been dumped, there must be something else going on. So what gives?"

Carrie sighed tiredly and shifted the bag she'd dumped in the middle of the bed before handing it to Emily and moving to pace across to the window.

"I feel like I'm going to explode; like every part of me is completely energised and not in a good way either. It isn't a comfortable feeling but I don't quite know how to release the tension. And it doesn't help that I slipped away from Mirkal down at the harbour without letting him know that I was catching a taxi away from him. I feel terrible, but I don't have the guts to do anything about it. I'm freaking out and hating myself all at the same time."

Emily studied her friend for a few seconds, before taking a look in the bag. She raised an eyebrow at what she saw, and was entirely grateful that she had her phone on her all the time. She pulled it out and dialled a now-familiar number.

"Emily, thank God. I was just about to call you. Have you heard from Carrie at all?"

Emily smiled dryly. "She made it home in one piece and I'm just about to work at getting the story out of her. Give me an hour and then pop round. Is there anything you want her to know?"

"Yes, please," he said quickly, and the relief in his voice made Emily like him a whole heap more. "Could you please tell her I'm not mad at her for sneaking off, despite not understanding why she did it, and that I love her? The rest can wait until I get there. Are you sure I can't come now?"

She laughed softly. "Give me an hour Mirkal, and not a minute less. Then you may come."

He sighed heavily before agreeing and she hung up.

"Why'd you do that?"

She looked up at Carrie and frowned slightly. "Because I knew he'd be worried about you. And because I still haven't really figured out what the problem is from the contents of this bag."

When Carrie just gaped at her, Emily laughed softly and patted the bed again.

"Come here honey." Carrie eased forward and sat down beside her. Emily pulled out the first item in the bag and tapped it with a fingertip. "This isn't the end of the world, you know?"

Carrie rolled her eyes. "Come off it Emily. You're pregnant with twins; this is a really big deal and quite potentially the end of the world if I'm right."

"Then you don't know for sure?"

She slumped and hung her head. "I'm late, I was seasick, which I never am by the way, and I have the weirdest cravings."

"None of which is proof of anything. Take this and go get it started. As soon as you're done peeing on the stick, bring it back here and we'll watch the time together. Go on, shoo."

Carrie took the pregnancy test box from her hand and walked into the bathroom and Emily pushed herself carefully up onto the bed, easing back until she had pillows and a headboard to support her. What she really needed was to sleep for a few hours, but something about today had triggered the flight response in a young woman she'd seen settle down completely over the last almost-year and she needed to get to the bottom of it.

_And we'll just not tell Aaron that his wife didn't follow his instructions on resting to the letter for the day._

A minute later, Carrie slipped out of the bathroom with the stick in her hand and draped her body across the end of the bed as she dropped an arm across her eyes. Emily nodded slightly and pulled out the other object in the bag. Opening it up, she murmured softly, "Oh my."

Carrie shifted her arm so she could stare at the ceiling. "Now can you see why I'm freaking out?"

"Not even slightly. Honey, you're going to need to explain this to me. Cause from where I'm sitting, you're getting a second chance at a happily-ever-after with a man who actually cherishes you. So what's the problem?"

Carrie let out a wail that made her jump in surprise. She took a deep breath as nausea threatened for a moment at the abrupt movement, soothing her hand over the soft cotton of her top as it eased.

"Carrie?"

"How could he? I mean the timing is all wrong; you're pregnant and the family is expanding again. You need me and he's making things difficult by being so sweet and so...so...well _him_."

Emily said slowly as her mind struggled to keep up with the unusual bent of the conversation, "So the reason for all the drama has to do with how the family is expanding and you not wanting to change things now for our sake; do I have that right?"

Carrie nodded miserably as a tear slipped down her cheek and Emily sighed heavily as she looked back at the box in her hand. The ring nestled in the black velvet was simply stunning, and so perfectly Carrie that it showed how well Mirkal had come to know her again.

"Do I need to ask if you gave him an answer?"

"I couldn't!" she wailed again. "I wanted to say yes so badly, but if I had it would have wrecked everything!"

Emily couldn't help it; she burst out laughing.

"Oh honey, that's so sweet; delusional, but sweet." Carrie sat up and looked at her intensely and Emily smiled gently. "Honey, Aaron and I knew that it wouldn't be very long before Mirkal proposed marriage to you. He's far too in love with you, and far too smart besides, to let you go now that he's found you again. We've already been discussing it just in case it happened as soon as we were certain it would."

"You have?" she asked in a small voice. Emily nodded slowly and swallowed a yawn. "Oh."

"Honey, more than Mirkal being in love with you, for the first time since we met you, we could see you coming into your own, becoming comfortable in your own skin and in your sexuality and we were thrilled for you. You were falling in love and it was such a wonderful thing because we could see you truly happy for the first time."

"If I said yes though, you'd be left without a nanny when we got married."

"And that wouldn't be the end of the world. What about that stick; what's it saying?"

Carrie jumped as if she'd forgotten that she was holding it while she waited for it to give her the answer she needed. Emily watched her steady her nerves before sneaking a look. The stunned look followed by the relieved smile told her everything.

"Get it confirmed regardless with a doctor, but I didn't honestly think you were pregnant."

"Why not," she asked curiously.

"The only thing out of the ordinary is the seasickness and that could simply be due to a rough day out on the water. But for the rest, I figured it had far more to do with all the changes that have been happening in your life recently. You're nervous, excited, scared and tense, then relaxed by turns whenever you're meant to see him."

"That sounds so wrong and makes me sound demented."

Emily shook her head. "You're being too hard on yourself. You married a man you thought would be your only, only to find out he was abusive. Mirkal understands your fears, even if you don't; he was too happy that you hadn't just shut him out to make a big deal of it. But that doesn't change how much he loves you and he's putting it out there for the world to see that he does with this ring. It's up to you whether you say yes or no; just don't make the decision based on what your job requires of you. Much as we love you, we can easily find someone else to take on your role. You on the other hand will never find another Mirkal."

Carrie smiled slightly and ducked her head, a blush staining her cheeks.

"He is one of a kind, huh? Do you think he'll forgive me for running out on him?"

Emily passed on his message just as the doorbell rang.

"Help me up so I can go take a nap and then go sit down and talk to him. And make the decision that is right for _you;_ be selfish for once in your life. We'll be very unhappy with you if you don't."

Carrie rushed to do just that and when Emily was sure she was steady on her feet, she shooed the other woman out ahead of her. Carrie disappeared in a flash and Emily smiled in amusement, hoping that in her excitement over saying yes that she remembered to collect the children from the school before they called Aaron and set him to worrying about her.

She stopped at the top of the stairs and watched the kiss going on near the front door with a soft smile. Mirkal had clearly not wasted any time in putting the ring on Carrie's finger once she told him yes and Emily was thrilled and saddened at the same time. Carrie would be happy with Mirkal, and Toby was getting a father-figure who already loved him just as much as he loved his mother. But she was losing a nanny in a class of her own, a woman she considered a friend, just when everything in her life was changing yet again.

But that was a worry for another moment, one when Aaron was present to help her bear the weight of it.

She checked on the girls before moving into her room and slipping into bed with a contented sigh. She'd leave Carrie to share her exciting news with Aaron later. For now she intended to sleep until he awoke.

"Much as I love you little ones, I can already tell how much more exhausted by you that I'm going to be when you arrive by how tired I am now. Oh the joys of motherhood."

She laughed softly at her folly in talking to two babies who hadn't even been born yet and snuggled down deeper under the covers just as happy laughter floated up the stairs.

**End-**

**A/N: Bet you were all thinking something else entirely when you saw the title of this chapter huh? Heehee...**

**You've probably also noticed that I've stopped with the teasers for the next chapter. I've decided that you will just have to be content with being surprised, since half the time I change my mind at the last second anyway and write something else entirely.**

**Stay tuned; G is for...**

**Please review with the conveniently placed link right under these words. I love to know what you think and it makes me type faster and update quicker. **


	7. G is for Gwendolyn PK

**A/N: Right, so this chapter is inspired by my gorgeous mummy who came to visit me without any warning (she lives clear across the country from me and I hadn't seen her for about 6 months). Anyway, I mentioned I was having trouble figuring out what to do with G and after about ten minutes she'd totally turned that around. So this one is dedicated to my gorgeous mummy. Happy Mother's Day to mothers everywhere.**

**Thanks for reviews that not only tell me that you love my work, but also encourage me to think. I knew exactly where I was taking things with Carrie but after the response to the last chapter, I'll think on the situation and get back to you all. Thanks for reviews from megameighteen, HGRHfan35, Hazmatt, Daisyangel (for E & F), greengirl82, NicknHotchfan, Wtiger5, HPforever-after, melodic2686 and x-MJ-x (for the entirety of The Colour Red) for all your wonderfully kind words. I really appreciate you all.**

**Rated M for one bad word and some adult themes.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds at all, although they do own me and I do own Carrie and Toby, Chloe and India, Kelly and Brad and Ben. **

Gwendolyn PK

"Hello Esther."

"Hotch, good morning." She shot him a smile and then nodded at the two men standing with him. She recognised only one of them. "Have you seen someone by the name of..." she stopped long enough to check a piece of paper in her hand before finishing, "...Kevin Lynch?"

He raised an eyebrow as he shot a look at his companions. "Any particular reason you're looking for him?"

She nodded. "A woman named Penelope called through to say that she was in labour..."

She jumped, startled as the man she didn't recognise dropped his papers and went running for the exit.

"That's Kevin," Mirkal said helpfully as Esther helped him pick up the papers.

"I kind of figured that," she said dryly. "Can someone call him to say she was calling just as the ambulance was arriving so he should just go straight to the hospital? I wouldn't want him to have to go home and find she wasn't there."

Hotch shot her an approving look and pulled out his mobile.

New Section

"Mr. Lynch? You can go in now."

Kevin felt relieved to hear that. He'd arrived at the hospital after being redirected by Hotch only to be told that he'd have to wait while they settled Penelope in to her room and examined her. He hadn't liked the waiting and had liked even less not being with her from the start despite not being able to help that. But now he could see for himself that she was alright.

Only he walked into the private room they'd booked to find she was sobbing and a nurse was trying to calm her down as several machines beeped loudly.

"What's wrong?" he asked anxiously as he rushed to her side and put his arms around her.

The nurse shot him a nervous look. "Well, she asked if it was time to do this and I mentioned that because it was her first child, it might actually take up to two days to happen and she needed to just relax into it. She burst into tears, wailed something about first a watermelon and now this and then dissolved into incoherency. Then you walked in."

He sighed. "Thanks for that."

She nodded and walked out, leaving him with his distraught wife.

"Hey sugarplum. You're having a rough morning."

She sobbed harder for a few minutes before the crying started to ease and she sagged in his arms.

"Kevin."

He ran his hand gently down her hair. "Feel a bit better now?"

She nodded slightly. "I'm scared. I can't do this."

He continued stroking her hair. "Yes you can plum sauce. I love you and I totally believe that you can do anything you set your big, beautiful brains to."

She sniffled softly and pulled back to look at him closely, trying to see if he was lying to her. "Really?"

"Absolutely. Now, what did the nurse say? Are you both doing alright? And is it alright for her to be born three weeks early?"

She smiled and held up a hand to stop him from speaking as he took a breath. Her smile grew as he immediately took her hand and tenderly kissed the back of it.

"We're both doing fine, and the doctor isn't at all worried about me only being at 37 weeks. She said that it wasn't unusual for first babies to be either early or late, and rarely on time. But because she's been really healthy, the doc thinks that everything is going to happen like clockwork."

He nodded, relieved and kissed her gently, smiling as her enthusiasm pushed her deeper into his embrace.

When the doctor came back a few minutes later, she told him almost exactly what Penelope had already said and suggested they both try and get as much rest as they could now while everything was still so calm.

"After all, once your daughter makes her grand entrance, your sleeping days are over for good for a long while to come."

With that, she informed them she'd be back in a few hours to check on them and walked out briskly. Penelope yawned and closed her eyes and Kevin slouched back in his chair as he settled in to watch over them both.

New Section

Penelope had come to two, very important conclusions over the last ridiculously long 33 hours. The first was that she would otherwise be far too exhausted to continue with this crazy-mad scheme she had to push a baby out of her if it weren't for Kevin being by her side, supporting her and letting her crush his hand into mush as she screamed him into premature deafness. The second conclusion, and the far more important of the two as far as she was concerned, was that Kevin needed to die for putting her in this position in the first place.

"Fuck," she half screamed, half moaned as the contractions suddenly got a lot worse, something she wouldn't have believed was possible a minute ago.

"Buttercup, you're doing such an amazing job, just keep going and it'll all be over soon."

She shot him a glare as she was reduced to panting for breath and he flinched slightly. "If you hadn't noticed, I am now reduced to swearing at the pain which is something I swore I would never, ever do. And can I point out that you were saying the exact same thing an hour ago and yet here you are saying it again and I'm still no closer to the end."

"Actually Pen, you should be feeling the need to push any moment now. Which means that Kevin is right this time."

She turned her glare on her doctor. "Not only no, but hell no! I have no more energy left..." her voice petered out as another contraction started up and she whimpered as tears slid down her cheeks. "I can't do this."

Kevin shifted enough to distract her from the wave of pain trying to drain her completely and cupped her face. "Penelope, even before I ever met you, I knew that you were the type of woman to glare at the impossible and make a way regardless of the odds you faced. And you've been proving that continuously true since then. So this time, no matter how impossible this may seem to you, I _know_ you can do this."

"How do you know," she whispered as one of the nurses reached for a tissue and the doctor sat back on her stool to wait for the response from her most flamboyant patient ever, proven by the bright pink gown she had somehow found in place of their regulation white even now.

"Because this is you we're talking about, and impossible just isn't in your vocabulary," Kevin replied simply, all the love he felt for his wife on display for her to see in that moment.

She swallowed an ocean of emotion as she caught a clear glimpse down to the heart and soul of the man she'd married. If she'd ever doubted it before, those doubts were gone at the all-encompassing love she saw there.

Licking her dry lips, she said softly, "I can't do this on my own."

He smiled gently. "Where on earth do you think I'm going when the most amazing and beautiful woman I know is trying to birth our equally beautiful and precious daughter. Weaker men run and others faint or puke, but I will stand my ground, here and now, where you are, because where you are is where I always want to be."

Closing her eyes, she nodded and dug down deep to find the strength he seemed to think she had. When she opened them, she knew two things without doubt; Kevin was a keeper and she _could_ do this.

She nodded firmly at the doctor at the end of her bed between her legs. "Let's do this."

She smiled warmly. "Excellent timing; I was just about to tell you that you'd run out of time to find your second wind. This is the tough part, but if you listen closely to me, pretty soon you'll be holding your beautiful little girl for the first time. Ready?"

The question turned out to be rhetorical and Penelope was reduced to focusing on just two voices; the doctors and Kevin's; as the pain turned excruciating. The one telling her what to do and the other telling her constantly how much she was loved, and the both of them telling her how well she was doing.

Then all sound faded away for several seconds and her vision started to run to streamers when a piercing, wailing cry filled the room and she realised that it wasn't coming from her.

"Breathe Pen. And again, there you go. Kevin, do you want to come cut this cord. Yes, right there, perfect. Here she is Penelope, your beautiful baby girl."

She'd only just started breathing again when a wiggling, screaming, indignant bundle of baby was placed on her chest and suddenly she could neither see nor breathe properly as she started to cry. One hand went tentatively to the back of the tiny human being she suddenly realised she had full responsibility for as she fell so deeply in love she knew there was no going back.

"Oh, oh Kevin, look at her."

"I am looking sugarplum. And I was right."

"About what?" she asked softly as she counted fingers and toes.

"She is as equally beautiful as her mother."

New Section

Emily slipped in through the partially opened door and hesitated.

"It's okay," Kevin said. "She's just finished."

Emily waited another moment as her friend put her top back in order before she gestured the rest of the group in behind her. Somehow they all fit into the room as Kevin walked around and let them see the baby on his shoulder. The oohs and ahhs were interrupted by a couple of soft giggles and a bunch of sighs as the tiny baby burped loudly and promptly fell asleep.

"Pen, she's just gorgeous," JJ whispered in awe.

Penelope just smiled at her family as she settled back in the pillows and watched Kevin rock slowly back and forth with their daughter in his arms. The picture he presented made her reach for her camera again. Once she was content, Kelly asked the question they were all dying to know the answer to.

"So you guys have been the most closed-lipped of anyone I've ever known about what you are naming your baby, particularly knowing what you were having early on. So tell us before we die of the anticipation; what's her name?"

Kevin smiled as he settled onto the side of the bed and leaned back beside his wife. Penelope rested her head on his shoulder and smiled at everyone.

"Her name is Gwendolyn PK."

"What's the PK stand for?" Reid asked curiously as they all exchanged smiles.

Penelope and Kevin exchanged secret smiles. "Being M.A.S.H. mad, we decided to take a leaf out of BJ's parents' book; the initial's of her parents make up her middle name. P for Penelope and K for Kevin. Therefore, Gwendolyn PK."

Emily smiled softly. "That is so fitting and I love it. Welcome to the family Gwendolyn PK. Welcome to the family."

**End-**

**A/N: Sigh...l'm feeling more than a little clucky now. Drats. Hope you all enjoyed that. I'm spicing things up next chapter, so stay tuned to this channel for the next instalment coming to you shortly.**

**Stay tuned; H is for...**

**Please review with the conveniently placed link right under these words. I love to know what you think and it makes me type faster and update quicker. **


	8. H is for Hormones

**A/N: So I just want to say a big "I'm sorry" to all of you who have been patiently waiting for this next chapter. I went to work on one of my other pieces and then I got really sick for a couple of weeks there and it just didn't happen. But I'm back now and hopefully this will be worth the wait.**

**I think all of you are wonderful for leaving me reviews and/or just reading my work. I really would have stopped this a long time ago if you didn't let me know constantly that you were still there reading this as I wrote it. Thanks so much to megameighteen, HGRHfan35, Wtiger5, AlexisSophia, Hazmatt, Daisyangel, HPforever-after, greengirl82, lizard84 (for The Heart of a Man) and criminalmindsbitch. You really are all so wonderful.**

**Rated M for some seriously hot and seriously sweet moments.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds at all, although they do own me and I do own Carrie and Toby, Chloe and India, Kelly and Brad and Ben. **

Hormones

"Hey Aaron."

"Brad? Hey, what are you doing here?"

"Kelly mentioned that you were looking for a sitter for your brood for the weekend. I thought about it and agreed that it could be us. And we're happy to take Toby as well so Carrie and Mirkal can have some uninterrupted time too."

"Ooh, want to take Henry while you're at it?" JJ asked with a small smile as she slipped past him with a file in hand.

"Sure, why not? I'd have to run it past Kelly, but I don't see there being a problem."

"I _was_ joking, but if you're willing, having a weekend to play with Will without worrying about little bodies popping in at the most inappropriate moments would be fantastic."

"Since Kelly and I get that uninterrupted time all the time, babysitting for a weekend is the least we can do."

"_Not_ that I'm encouraging you and Kelly, or anything like that, but why don't you guys have kids. Don't you want them?"

"The ultimate birth control," Brad said with an easy shrug, "Is that I'm shooting blanks, literally. They found not a single live sperm across twelve tests. And not for lack of us trying."

"That's awful," JJ whispered.

"What's worse is that my body doesn't produce eggs either."

JJ turned her body sideways to look at Kelly behind her. "So for the two of you, it really _is_ the ultimate birth control."

"Pretty much."

"What about adoption?" Aaron asked. "Have you thought about it?"

"We're already on the list. But it takes years sometimes and we've only been on the list for a few months now. We weren't really ready for kids before; now it just seems like the right time. Though hopefully it doesn't happen until you have a full team back on board."

"Here, here," Aaron said with a grin. "So you guys are good to babysit at the weekend? Carrie has already said no and with it already being her weekend off, we didn't push it, but I'm really desperate."

"Why exactly is that?" Brad asked curiously. "Kelly was pretty vague when I asked her."

The woman in question smacked her husband's arm. "That's because I got my answer from Emily and let's just say that the answer was not repeatable."

"Which tells me nothing," Brad said as he crossed his arms and levelled her with a slightly cross look.

Aaron sighed. "Four kids, a pregnant, hormonal wife and two other adults, plus me, all living in the one household. Do I really need to spell it out for you?"

Brad flushed just slightly. "No, that's perfectly understandable now."

"Do I need to apologise for being underfoot?" Mirkal asked as he appeared in the doorway beside Kelly.

"Not at all; you're definitely welcome for as long as you need somewhere to stay."

"Still no luck finding somewhere to live?" JJ asked sympathetically.

"Not at all; I've found five or six really nice places to live. The problem is finding somewhere Carrie will be happy to move into once we're married in May. So far, she's vetoed all of them."

"What's the problem?" Aaron asked quickly.

Mirkal shrugged. "I'm still trying to convince her that it is okay to tell me anything, no matter how much she thinks I might not like what she has to say. I'll keep working on it until I find out and then I'll let you know."

They all laughed softly, Mirkal held up his file and pointed down towards the meeting room and Aaron nodded as he walked off.

"Right, chit chat time is over folks. Brad, thanks for agreeing to Kelly's offer. I'll liaise with her on the times and such through the week."

"Sounds good," Brad agreed as he eased out of the room. "And I was serious, JJ, if you want some time with Will."

"Ooh, are we offering to take Henry too?" Kelly asked eagerly. As an adult, she knew she wasn't supposed to have favourites, but if she did, Henry would definitely be it for her of the children of their BAU team. He was just far too cute for her to put into words.

Brad shrugged. "JJ mentioned it, probably in jest, but she's probably in a similar boat to Emily at the moment, so it couldn't hurt to offer.

She beamed a smile at him. "We could also offer to take Ben for Derek and Jordan."

"Do you know something I don't?"

"Not at all. I just thought it could be a nice change for them to have some personal time without worrying about interruptions. I'd offer to take Gwendolyn as well if she weren't only a week old, but I doubt they're letting her out of their sight yet."

Brad watched as Mirkal moved to get their meeting started. "You should go; we can talk about this over the phone later. Call me once you know where you'll be."

She nodded, kissed him quickly, and hurried off. Whistling as he thought of the fun the weekend would be having kids around, he left the FBI building to head to work.

New Section

"Hey pumpkin. Are you intending to sleep standing up again?"

Penelope flicked a quick look at her husband and sighed softly. "I know I shouldn't, but I just can't get over how yummy she looks. Standing here gives me the best vantage from which to just watch her breathe. Doesn't that appeal to you?"

"Didn't you notice how glassy-eyed I was when you woke from your nap? I fell asleep at the same time you did but woke a few minutes later with an urge to look at her. I spent the entire time just watching her sleep. And you too."

She smiled warmly and moved into his arms. "Perhaps we can get away without watching over her tonight."

He nodded slowly and kissed her tenderly. "I propose cuddling on the bed while we plan our celebration for after your six week check-up."

"Ooh, does the planning include someone babysitting so that we aren't interrupted?"

"If you honestly think either of us can go more than five minutes without calling the sitter to bring her back."

She thought about it a moment before her face fell. "Good point. Lets start the cuddling and planning and we can figure out how to make it work later."

"Sounds perfect to me."

He kissed her again and walked them backwards to the bed. They tumbled down wrapped up in each other...and two minutes later were sound asleep where they lay.

New Section

"Spencer, what _are_ you doing?"

Her husband looked up at her from her bare abdomen and shot her the grin designed to drive her wild and melt her into a puddle of mush at the same time.

"I'm checking to see if you've grown in the last few days."

"With kisses?" she asked doubtfully.

He placed another three kisses down around the side of her belly before sliding up her body and kissing her deeply.

"Yes, with kisses. See, I measured the length of my mouth and calculated how wide you should be during each week of your pregnancy."

"Only you would do something that crazy. Right come on boy genius; am I the right way around for how pregnant I am?"

He frowned slightly as he calculated and she smiled, reaching out to smooth her thumb against the slight bunching of wrinkles that appeared at the bridge of his nose. Suddenly he grinned and shifted quickly, and taking her thumb in his mouth, he bit gently before swirling his tongue lightly over the pinch.

"Mmm hmm. Just perfect, in every way."

"Good," she said in a breathy voice as she urged him to bring his mouth back to hers. He obliged with a happy murmur as he rolled them over and shifted her body to straddle his. Shaking her hair back over her shoulder, she leaned down to her current favourite activity; seducing her husband. This was no easy feat anymore considering the 26 week old baby in her tummy but hey, it was just another excuse to find more creative ways to go about it. And in fact, it gave rise to a particular favourite activity of her own that she could still easily get away with.

She grinned at him as anticipation rolled through her and, shifting her body weight, she started to oh so slowly crawl backwards as she kissed her way down his body. She took time with his nipples and his torso with the muscles he was slowly adding as he exercised with her before placing a kiss on either one of his hips. Then she just looked down at the solid length of him for a moment, savouring the moment as she prolonged what he'd clearly tensed up for.

Deeming that enough time had passed, she lowered her mouth towards him and licked from one end to the other, causing his hips to buck wildly towards her as he groaned heavily. She waited for his movements to cease before repeating the action with the same results. Pleased by this, she settled in to use her lips and tongue to drive him wild and take him further than he'd ever allowed her. And sure enough, just when she knew he was so close to coming apart under her, she felt his hand in her hair tugging to pull her up so he could finish inside her body.

But she had a different idea on how she wanted today to end, so she ignored that pull and oh so gently scrapped her teeth against him. His hand in her hair went slack and she put him as far into her mouth as she could go and sucked hard. His screams of ecstasy pleased her to no end as he came in her mouth and she kept up the seal her lips had created until he was limp and silent under her; only then did she release him and crawl up the bed beside him until she could watch him come down from his high.

Reaching out, she lightly stroked his cheek until his eyes stopped fluttering and his gaze turned to study her.

"What happened to us finishing together?" he asked huskily.

She shot him a tender smile. "I had this powerful desire to pleasure my husband."

"You didn't get anything out of it."

She tipped her head slightly. "Didn't I? Spencer, you underestimate how very much I love you. When you're happy, I'm happy. When you're sad, I'm sad. And when you orgasm because of something I did, I am very, _very_ pleased, particularly with myself. It's my reminder that I _can_ please you. And I'm very, _very_ good at it."

He grinned suddenly. "Yes you are. But now that I've settled down some from that, it's my turn to see how pleased I can get with myself."

She rolled onto her back and spread her legs happily. "By all means, go be pleased with yourself."

With a deep, drugging kiss, he went to do just that.

New Section

Will watched JJ walk towards their bed in her wispy, near see-thru negligee and counted himself a completely blessed man. After all, he had a wonderful son, and a drop-dead-gorgeous wife, made even hotter by her current rounded curves. Oh yes, he was a _very_ blessed man. Now, if she'd only come over here so he could show her how blessed he felt...

She shot him a slight smile that verged on looking embarrassed.

"What is it chere; what has you lookin' so sheepish?"

She slipped in carefully under the covers, allowing her body to sink comfortably into her body pillow. "Would you hate me entirely if I said I only wanted to sleep tonight?"

He grinned at her. "You're 28 weeks pregnant and you were chasin' Henry around all day, so I'm really not that surprised. 'Sides that, there's always tomorrow night, or mornin' or afternoon, or even Sunday mornin'. Sleep tonight and store up energy for growin' that precious babe in your tummy, and tomorrow we'll feed your appetite for other activities."

She smiled and hummed appreciatively. "I really lucked out when you looked my way, you know th..." her words were cut off in a huge yawn as Will gently stroked her belly. Sleep tugged her under as his hands worked his magic and she went to focus on growing her baby.

New Section

Carrie tumbled over the arm of the couch in the sitting area of the hotel room they'd booked for their weekend getaway and snarled slightly as contact was broken with Mirkal's mouth. But he appeared pretty quickly in her sight as he straddled her body. He'd lost his shirt in the few seconds he'd been out of sight and she thought briefly that if it got him out of his pants too, he could keep his mouth to himself for a little bit longer.

"How I love it when you go feral on me," he said with a heated smile as he helped her out of her top and bra. She started to snarl a second time in invitation when his hands settled firmly over her heaving chest and the snarl turned into a moan as he lightened the pressure and lightly brushed the palms of his hands over her nipples.

She slid her fingertips up his arms with the barest of pressure and he shuddered as he leaned down for a kiss. She met him halfway for a hungry, hot kiss that continued as they reached down to remove the bottom half of their clothing. A flurry of hands later and he sank hilt-deep into heaven.

"We really...shouldn't...tempt fate," he gasped as he moved through her tight folds. "We should...stop this...and..."

"Shut up and kiss me," she interrupted as she rolled them over to take control, forgetting for a moment that they were on a couch as they fell. She clasped her knees tight around his hips and they grunted as they hit the ground. She kissed him deeply while he was still trying to catch his breath before she straightened up and shifted her hair around her. As his eyes opened to see why she'd stopped, she felt a renewed sense of her confidence as a woman fill her at the look in his eyes. She didn't doubt for a second that as he looked up at her he saw something beautiful.

"Come here," he whispered as he pulled her gently down to him. Their kiss this time had lost the hurried quality that had been present as their evening kicked off. If kisses had words, she was being told that she was loved and treasured and she hoped with all her heart that he was hearing the same message as she shifted over him and kissed him back.

Hours later, sometime in the forsaken hours of the early morning, she listened to his heart beat as he slept and knew that no matter how much she might love this man with every fibre of her being, there was only one way that she would get to be his and still have the happy ending she so desired. And she started praying like mad that he would be alright with her terms because if he wasn't, she would lose half of all that mattered to her in this world.

New Section

"Didn't Ben start this way?" Derek asked as he gasped for breath. He was on the floor in the hall, Jordan's limp body draped all over him. They'd been aiming for the bedroom when she'd just suddenly turned aggressive and shoved him up against the wall. He'd lost all the strength in his legs sometime during the explosive orgasm that had rocked him which had dumped them both in this position some minutes ago.

Jordan mumbled something unintelligible and snuggled closer. Chuckling, he nudged her gently. "Babe, my pants are down around my ankles. I need them off before we move and its just a little too cool to stay here in the hallway like this."

He could tell this mumble had to do with not moving, but he got her up and off him long enough to untangle his legs from his clothes and find his feet. He led them into the bedroom and took his time removing her clothing, enjoying her sleepy smiles and soft hums of appreciation as his fingers brushed lightly over her soft skin.

"You had a long day with Ben, didn't you love."

"Mmm. He was missing his daddy."

He smiled in amusement as he tucked them into the bed. "He's only thirteen months babe, how could you tell?"

"I heard him say mummy just _once_ this morning, then all the rest of the day it was daddy and his adorable little babble. Only the babble turned to tears and sobs and screams when he realised daddy wasn't there. Then, I'd get him calmed down and something else would set him off not five minutes later and it just went on and on. That's why I smacked you when you woke him up right after arriving home."

"I'm sorry; I didn't realise."

"I know, and it is why I only smacked you once. But in future, if he's asleep when you get home, maybe just check with me how the day progressed before you swoop in for the cuddles."

"I can do that."

"Good. As to Ben starting this way, I've been thinking about Ben, and children in general and how many I'd like to have. But I can't quite remember what I was thinking exactly beyond knowing that I want a little girl too."

Derek thought about that as he gently stroked her hair. The thought of a miniature version of his gorgeous wife running around and wrapping him around her little finger, appealed to his most basic nature. He opened his mouth to put a verbal reply to his internal decision only to stop and smile as Jordan let out a little snore and settled more heavily against him.

_I'll tell her tomorrow._

New Section

"You're really enjoying that bubble bath, aren't you cara mia?"

Teresa opened her eyes briefly to see Dave sitting on the closed toilet lid and smiled sleepily at him as her eyes drifted closed. "I am. You're more than welcome to come and join us."

"Tempting, but I like my baths a whole lot hotter than you would currently have it."

She shrugged just slightly. "Your loss. Though maybe its mine too since I prefer my baths hotter as well..."

He smiled as her voice trailed off. She'd been in there for half an hour already and he could hear her falling asleep; he'd need to pull her out soon. But she'd had such a rough day, with her morning sickness not stopping at the end of the first trimester like it should have. She didn't have it all the time now, but when it did flare up, it normally stuck around and left her feeling horrible.

He was glad he'd suggested the bath and wished fervently that the phone hadn't rung when it had so that he could have joined her, but just watching her was enough to get the blood in his groin stirring with interest. He shifted just slightly and she smiled again with her eyes still closed.

"Down boy, I'm not interested tonight."

He frowned just slightly, trying not to rise to the challenge...and failing.

"Can I tempt you with a slow ride?"

She cracked an eyelid, then closed it. For long minutes, he thought she was going to leave him in an agony of desperate wanting. Well, despite the fact that he always wanted her, and she always came through for him, he figured today would be the day she would leave him to deal with it himself.

Then she shifted in the water and stood slowly to her feet, water and bubbles cascading down her luscious body and all he could think was he urgently needed either a cold shower, or access to her hot, tight channel.

He shifted forward quickly and placed a hand under her arm as she wobbled just slightly. Seeing the slightly glazed, tired look on her face, he helped her out of the bath and wrapped her up in a towel.

"I'm being selfish here. Forget I asked about the ride; lets just get you into bed so..."

She cut him off by pulling his head down for a slow, easy kiss that left him licking his lips and reigning in his thoughts as they ran away from him.

"I want a back massage with oils, then you can do my front while I ride you."

"Love..."

She placed a finger against his lips lightly. "It appeals to me. I can't promise not to fall asleep while you work your magic on the back half of my body, but if I am still awake when you're done, then I _demand_ a ride."

"You're so selfless," he whispered huskily, shaken by yet another example of how she took care of all of his needs.

She smiled softly. "Only because I love you and your pleasure brings me joy."

He pulled her in for another soft kiss, stopping it short of turning hungry, though her whimper as he moved his lips in a series of light kisses along her jaw line to the soft skin at the back of her ear, and the way her lower body rocked in against his, told him he may have left the kiss going on a little too long when he'd just decided to do his best to get her to rest. He was about to step back when her hand got a fistful of his hair and she whispered against his mouth, "Don't you dare stop now."

Teresa had often, particularly in the last few months, accused him of being a caveman, and generally not in a complimentary way. But she also quite frequently acknowledged how smart he was, and now he combined those two traits in a way he knew she'd like, a _lot_."

She smiled against his mouth as he scooped her up into his arms and strode out of the bathroom. He continued kissing her hungrily as he gently deposited her on the bed and settled them on their sides so that she wouldn't be doing too much of the work, and so that he wouldn't be putting unneeded pressure on their growing bundle of joy.

He had obviously provoked a tigress tonight thought, because she shoved his shoulder hard enough to rock him back and she shifted until she straddled his waist. Again, they'd managed not to lose contact and she was clearly happy about this as she smiled again and pulled back just slightly.

She wiggled down just slightly, stroking her core over his aching hardness and he pushed up against her damp heat in response, rubbing himself against her. Her smile turned approving as she repeated the manoeuvre and he responded in kind. Her mouth came back to his as his hands found the pins in her hair and removed them so that he could tunnel his fingers into the silky, soft strands as they moved.

She suddenly ground down on him, coming apart in his arms as she shuddered heavily, her eyes closed and head thrown back. The look of ecstasy on her face made him smile to see her so happy, but it didn't help with the painful ache he still felt and as her body spasms eased, he shifted her enough so that he could slide himself into her tight heat.

Her eyes opened and she smiled warmly at him. "I hadn't forgotten you love. I was just catching my breath before coming back to finish the fun."

"Smart woman," he murmured approvingly as he urged her to start moving over him. She hummed her agreement as she leaned in for more kisses. Minutes later it was his turn to come apart under her, though she came apart with him and he rolled them onto their sides in the centre of the bed as her breathing evened out and he realised she was asleep.

"Back massage tomorrow cara mia, since you made my desires your priority tonight. God only knows how much I love you both."

He pressed a tender kiss to her temple and shifted closer to her warmth as he let his own rest come upon him.

New Section

Emily fought her way out of her sleep-induced haze to find Aaron had his slippery hands on her butt. The smell of vanilla filled the room and teased her appetite.

He acknowledged her wakeful state by kissing the curve of her neck where it met her shoulder. "Hey gorgeous."

"Hey yourself," she murmured. "Not that I'm complaining, cause I'm not, but what brought this on?"

"Well, I thought about taking you down to the pool and just letting the water buoy you up for a bit to give you some relief from your aching body, but the air temperature dropped suddenly and then I got here to find you were asleep. So rather than waking you, I decided to pamper you a bit while you rested."

"Nice." The desire to say more was cut off as his hands slid down the backs of her thighs, and because she had one leg thrown over the body pillow, in moving his hands from her butt to her thighs, his fingers ghosted over her core. Her breath caught in a soft sigh and a subtle shifting of her legs invited him to come back. Just because intercourse had just been vetoed, did not mean that he couldn't get her off. Because as she well knew, he was very, _very_ talented with both his hands and his mouth.

She felt the smile in the new kiss his pressed to her cheek before he shifted further down her body and continued to massage his way down her legs. Her slight annoyance over his lack of follow up to her silent invitation melted away as his hands soothed her aching muscles and tight, slightly swollen flesh when he got down to her calves and ankles.

"Mmm, that's so good. Why couldn't this pregnancy follow the path of the other one? That one was so much easier to deal with. None of this emotional crap and swollen _everything_."

"Who knows love. We just deal with it as it is and you remember that even when you think you're at your worst, I'm still right here loving you."

She smiled as his hands left her skin. She really had gotten so very lucky with this man. The sound of the bottle of body oil being opened turned her head as she realised that the front of her body was un-oiled. The thought of his hands on her aching breasts and belly had her shifting carefully from her side to her back without his urging. He came back to her side and helped her ease a couple of pillows into place behind her back so that she didn't have too much trouble breathing. Then starting at her feet, he worked his way up her legs.

She watched him for a minute before her heavy eyes slid shut. She was half asleep again when she felt his hands on her inner thighs, gently tugging her legs open. He finished his ministrations on the tops of her legs and then shifted to the inside of her thighs. Sleep was trying to pull her under when she felt the heel of his hand slide from the bottom to the top of her core, pressing for just a moment at the top before the pressure eased, drawing a sigh from her lips. He repeated the motion a second time and then a third, causing her hips to shift up against that almost-too-light pressure. His hands withdrew until she settled and then the touch came again. He kept at it as she almost-dozed, stopping only when she tried moving and continuing only when she was still. The wave of heat that flushed her body was gentle and soothing when it came, easing a tightness she hadn't known existed and further relaxing her body as her orgasm eased.

She heard the bottle again, then his talented hands were working their magic on the swollen skin of her abdomen. His rhythmic motions changed several times as his fingers traced the pattern of bumps and kicks across her belly, and she imagined the pleased, proud smile on his face as he followed those motions; he did so love all of his children, living _and_ unborn.

Then his hands slid up and over her breasts and she sighed happily as he tenderly massaged them. He paid equal attention to each one as her conscious thoughts started to fragment and she slid closer to sleep. Then his hands went higher still, gently up around her neck and then he was gone for a minute before she felt him lift her up and shift her gently back to her side.

"Aaron?"

"Ssh love. I'll be back shortly and we can sleep together."

"'Kay. Love you..."

Again she could feel his smile against her cheek before he whispered back, "I love you too, Emily Hotchner. I love you so much."

Smiling, she let sleep pull her fully back under its thrall.

New Section

"Are they all asleep?" Kelly asked softly as Brad shut the bedroom door and walked to the dressing table. She watched him set down a bunch of monitors that looked like radios so that they could hear if any of the kids stirred.

"Hmm, finally. Which means I now have time to focus on my gorgeous wife and what is bothering her."

"Nothing's bother..."

"Don't lie to me Kel; I know you better than I know myself most days. Ten plus years of marriage should have well and truly earned me the truth, no matter how bad you think it is."

She sighed softly and walked away from the window to the bed. She settled herself against the headboard and pulled a pillow into her arms.

"I'm sorry," she said softly. "It's just...well...I'm not liking my thoughts at the moment."

He settled in beside her and tugged her into his arms. "Whatever it is, we can handle it together if you share it with me."

She was silent in his arms so long he actually thought that she might not share what was weighing so heavily on her. But then she spoke and he hoped that she hadn't been holding on to this for too long by herself.

"I'm jealous. I'm so jealous I can barely see straight. Almost a year ago we made some amazing new friends when I joined the BAU and it was exciting to help out while Emily had the girls. And now being able to stay on the team and continue working with them is just wonderful. But I've been thinking lately that being surrounded by five gorgeous pregnant women, even though there are only four of them now, is just totally unfair because I want so badly what they have."

He pulled the pillow out of her arms and lifted her up and around until she was straddling his lap. There was nothing sexual about it as she started to sob heavily, it was all about him being able to comfort her as closely as he could. He really hated it when she cried because he always felt like he couldn't catch a full breath while she let her pain out in such a tangible way, and it was almost an hour later before she calmed down enough that he was able to breathe properly again.

"I'm sorry for this," she said with a wet sniffle.

"Don't be. If we could make a baby between us, I'd tell Aaron to go find someone else and I'd keep you here until that dream was realised. But I can't, and it's killing me that I can't because I know that it's killing you that you don't ever get that wonder of having a life growing inside of you. I wish I could make your pain go away and I know that I can't. I feel like I've failed you in this."

She shook her head so vigorously her hair went flying as she sat back and cupped his face in her hands. "Don't. Don't you _dare_ blame yourself for this. There is _no one_ to blame here. I certainly don't feel that you are at fault; we're just unlucky. No, my monthlies started and I always get a bit emotional at about this time; I'm just normally better at hiding it from you. And don't frown at that, this is exactly why I was _trying_ to hide it; I hate making you miserable because I'm unhappy. I'll be alright tomorrow. And one day, we'll have our family when the adoption agency finds us a little someone to love and it will be alright. The tiny space in me that is always empty will fill because at least then I can say I'm somebody's mother, and not just somebody's wife. Which isn't to say that I don't treasure you and I'm not happy...oh god...I'm such a _mess_ at the moment."

He chuckled softly and pulled her back into his arms. "Good thing you're _my_ mess then, isn't it?"

She nodded and sighed softly. "I didn't mean to imply that you aren't enough for me Brad, I truly didn't. Because you _always_ have been more than enough."

"It just doesn't change your dreams, does it?" he asked gently as he stroked her hair.

She shook her head slightly and sighed softly as she snuggled in closer. They sat silently as they contemplated their future together and the night wore on around them. The family would come, they both knew that, and until it did, they knew they always had each other; it just didn't change the longing for what they wanted in the now.

**End-**

**A/N: The ending was going to be a little different to what it was, but I hope you liked it all the same. I is coming at you shortly, so stick around.**

**Stay tuned; I is for...**

**Please review with the conveniently placed link right under these words. I love to know what you think and it makes me type faster and update quicker. **


	9. I is for India

**A/N: I'm trying something new at the very start, and hopefully it makes sense in the end.**

**Thanks so much to megameighteen, HGRHfan35, Hazmatt, greengirl82, NicknHotchfan, HPforever-after and Wtiger5 for your encouraging reviews. I don't know why, but I was really nervous writing that chapter, so I'm really glad you all enjoyed it so much. Hopefully you enjoy this one too.**

**Rated T for some adult themes and just a touch of drama.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds at all, although they do own me and I do own Carrie, Mirkal and Toby, Chloe and India, Kelly, Brad and Ben. **

India

Nap time?...No nap time, not time...hungry...mummy?...mummy hungry...mummy nap time?

Light...colour...push...daddy make it better?

New Section

"Okay, just putting it out there that you guys are so much easier to work with this week compared to the tension permeating this place last week."

Derek chuckled and Reid blushed to the roots of his hair as Kelly and Esther exchanged cheeky smiles and went back to their work. Derek was fun to tease, but Reid...he always produced the crème de la crème of reactions, particularly when teased about his sex life.

"Guys, we're going out to lunch and wondered if you'd care to join us."

The four of them looked up to see Dave and Aaron standing there waiting for their answer. All were in agreement that food sounded good so they put away their work and stood to move towards the lifts as Reid asked if Mirkal was joining them. Everyone teased him that he just wanted someone as smart as him to talk to and Mirkal was the only one as smart as, if not smarter than, Reid, but they were still happy that Reid was happy when the technical analyst working in Penelope's place met them at the lift.

Aaron pulled out his phone as it started to ring while they waited for a lift to take them down and smiled warmly.

"Keep it short," Dave muttered to him as the lift arrived. "We all actually want to eat today."

Aaron shot him an amused look as he put the phone to his ear. "Hey gorgeous."

He waited for the customary reply and was surprised to hear baby babble instead. Grinning as he figured out who it was, he decided to play along with whatever was going on.

"Ah, am I talking to the beautiful India instead? And what may I do for you today?"

India squealed happily and babbled louder and he heard the faint sound of tiny hands slapping skin. Clearly Emily had decided to phone and say hi before feeding the girls their lunch and put the phone of speaker for India to hear him.

She continued to babble at him and slap at whatever she'd been slapping before, but he could tell she wasn't as content as she'd been a second ago. He made soothing noises and asked to speak to Emily, even knowing that she was listening in and waiting for the right moment. But even as tired as she normally was these days, letting their daughter start to sound this distressed and not trying to do anything about it was incredibly unlike her.

When India started to sound even more distressed, he said softly, "Em, enough. I can talk to her later." He waited for several long seconds as his concern increased and when India started crying he snapped her name again, still with no results.

"Someone call Carrie now," he demanded of the group at large at he listened to his child sob. The second the lift doors opened, he started jogging for the Yukon that was parked in the nearby Working Vehicles Lot. Taking one for personal use was generally frowned upon, but it would take longer to reach his car after he had arrived late to work that morning.

"Here," Mirkal said, handing him the phone.

"Carrie, where are you?"

"Out at the shops. We somehow ran out of nappies and..."

"Something's wrong with Emily. India's crying at the other end of the phone and Emily's not answering. How long until you get home."

"There was a sale...look, you're closer. I'll get there as soon as I can, but take someone with you for the girls in case you have to leave with Emily in a hurry."

He hung up, his heart too caught up in his worry for Emily and India's distress to take even a few extra seconds to tell the younger woman he wasn't mad at her, just near panic. He shoved the phone back at Mirkal and ran the rest of the way to the closest car, glad the keys were always in the lockbox behind the front wheel. By the time he peeled out of the car park within seconds of getting in the car, he had three passengers and he could see the rest of his team in the second car behind him. His gratefulness over not being alone lasted only a moment as he distantly heard Chloe start crying in answer to her sisters panic.

He tried soothing India again, but the baby was now inconsolable and with Chloe crying in the background, he knew the only way to stop the sounds were going to be found in his arms or the arms of his friends.

He turned on the lights and sirens and hoped that nothing got in his way as he drove like a maniac, deaf and dumb to just about everything around him except getting home to his wife. He had no idea who was even with him, let alone whether they were talking to him; the half hour commute had never seemed longer as he slammed the car to a halt outside the gates leading to his driveway and fumbled with the code. Three tries later and he finally got it right and he was left waiting impatiently for them to open, uncertain about what he would find when he got inside.

He didn't remember parking the car, exiting the vehicle or somehow getting his keys in the lock enough to open it. What he did remember was dropping the phone inside the door and taking the stairs two at a time to the top as he followed the increasingly distressed noises he could hear.

His first view of the nursery had him making a distressed noise of his own.

They had hung a rail high on the wall to the right of the entry, hanging a set of shelves made of cloth with holes designed for clothes, shoes, towels, cloth nappies...whatever they may have wanted to put in the many holes. He was glad the shelves were made of cloth now as he took in the image of Emily lying so still underneath the piles of cloth and clothes. India sat beside her with a growing bump on her head and scrape on her arm and Chloe was standing in the cot and holding on to the side as both girls screamed their displeasure at not being immediately comforted.

Kelly and Esther swept in behind him and split up, Esther gently lifting India off the floor and Kelly scooping Chloe into her arms and tucking her in close. Dave and Derek helped him by lifting the shelves out of the way and he gently pushed clothing to the side as he found Emily's wrist and checked for her pulse. He was only slightly comforted to see the steady rise and fall of her chest.

"Kelly!"

"In the nursery!" Kelly called back in answer to her husband's call. To the look Aaron shot her, she explained, "I knew he was in the area visiting friends, so I called and told him that something might be wrong."

Reassured that Emily was breathing and calmed by the cessation of India's and Chloe's crying as the girls comforted them, he nodded and thanked her softly. When Brad appeared at his side, he shifted only slightly to give the other man room.

"What happened?"

"I'm not entirely sure. When we came in, she was like this but buried under the clothing and shelves with India crying beside her. India has a bump on her head and a scrape on her arm that could be carpet burn. So she might have been carrying India while getting something from the shelves when she felt dizzy and fainted, grabbing hold of the shelves and pulling everything down on top of her. But it's just a theory."

"And dropping the baby in the process. Esther, how does she seem to you?"

"She's clearly distressed, but is calming down as we speak. The bump on her head is pretty heavily bruised though."

He nodded as he continued to work through his internal checklist. "So she hasn't been conscious at all since you got here?" Aaron shook his head and Brad frowned. "Did someone think to call an ambulance?"

"I phoned one right before I called you," Kelly confirmed as she rubbed soothing circles on Chloe's back. "Could the girls benefit from being fed? Chloe is chewing on a fistful of my hair."

"It is definitely past their lunch time," Carrie confirmed tearfully as she came running in. "Aaron, I'm so sorry," she hiccupped.

He hesitated a moment, but Brad nodding his head just slightly allowed him to stand and step away to comfort the younger woman. "I'm not mad Carrie, so please stop crying and calm down. It isn't going to do anyone any good. It's not your fault and you're here now. Look after Chloe for me while I get Emily and India to the hospital. I'll call once we know anything."

She nodded and accepted his hug before moving over to Kelly and indicating they leave the room, making room for the medics as they appeared following Reid and Mirkal.

New Section

Aaron looked up as a chair was pulled up beside his where he sat beside India's cot. They were keeping her in hospital overnight as a precaution because they hadn't been able to determine if her fall had caused her to lose consciousness, but as near as they could tell, she would be just fine.

"How's Emily?" he demanded as Brad settled in comfortably.

"She's going to be fine. She has hypotension, or low blood pressure, brought on by a distinct lack of iron. I had her records faxed over from the clinic and considering her last iron test was just a few weeks ago and was within safe levels, it has most likely developed suddenly in the last week."

Aaron nodded slowly. "She had a similar problem about this week the first time she was pregnant. Then, like now, it came on suddenly, though she didn't faint the first time. But she was concerned about it possibly happening again, so she's been eating a lot of iron rich foods. Why didn't that help?"

Brad shrugged. "Some pregnant women just don't have enough iron in their blood to sustain both them and the baby, and in this case, Emily is short for three people. They'll keep her here for a couple of days while they monitor her condition, especially as she'll be prescribed additional iron supplements to counteract the growing anaemia. And considering what I overheard, don't be too surprised if she's placed on semi-permanent bed rest for the rest of the pregnancy when she's released."

"Did she wake up at all?"

"Briefly. She was a bit confused and didn't seem to remember feeling faint or dropping India."

Aaron smiled slightly. "She's going to be pretty pissed about waking up in yet another hospital bed, but it will help to know that there was no permanent harm done to anyone. But I probably won't hear the end of it about the bed rest."

Brad chuckled softly in sympathetic agreement and clapped him on the shoulder. "You do realise that India is a hero right? If she hadn't managed to press the right buttons to call you, Emily could have been lying there for hours. As it was, when I got there, she was already going into shock. It isn't normally life threatening, but if her pressure had continued to drop, we might have had a harder time stabilising her."

Aaron looked steadily at his doctor-friend. "I thought you said she was going to be fine?" he asked suspiciously. "And you certainly didn't mention the shock a minute ago."

Brad smiled gently and oh so lightly tapped the cot railing. "You are dealing with the dual shocks of finding your pregnant wife unconscious and your infant daughter suffering from a mild concussion. I only minimised Emily's condition because she is _definitely_ going to be fine. Pissed at the situation, for sure, but fine none the less. It may just take a day or so. The only reason I mentioned it at all was so that you would fully understand what you owe this beautiful eight month old child of yours."

Aaron nodded slowly. "When can I see Emily?"

Brad shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure, as I wasn't allowed to treat her myself; not my area of expertise and they consider it to be a conflict of interest. I do know that a nurse will call down to the nearby nurses station when you can see her and they'll pass the message on to you. I wouldn't stress it Aaron. She'll be home by the end of the week and making your life miserable at the same time no doubt."

He smiled slightly and thanked Brad quietly as the doctor got up to get ready for his shift that evening. He turned his attention back to his daughter to find her awake and peering up at him. He smiled down at her and carefully lifted her out of the cot, trying not to dislodge the iv line giving her much-needed fluids.

"So, my little heroine, you saved the day." He kissed the top of her head gently as she blew a raspberry at him. "We owe you mummy's life, little princess, and I for one will never forget that. But," he added slowly as she started to drift back to sleep again as he cuddled her close, "You still aren't getting a phone until you're sixteen."

**End**

**A/N: Okay, I know I promised no drama, but this is me and Emily IS pregnant with twins. But as you can see, everything is fine in the end and I promise that J is going to be one big fluffball-read to make up for the angst you just read.**

**Stay tuned; J is for...**

**Please review with the conveniently placed link right under these words. I love to know what you think and it makes me type faster and update quicker. **


	10. J is for Jack

**A/N: Okay, so I had this written the other week, but I needed to send it through to the amazing Wtiger5, for her wonderful take on it, as the Scott's are primarily her creation. Then there were a few issues with it...and really, it wasn't going to be that brilliant in the beginning and then she came along and made it shine. So Becca, honey, this one's for you, with all my love and gratitude.**

**Thanks so much to Hazmatt, HGRHfan35, greengirl82, HPforever-after, srhittson (for Comfort for a Hurting Heart and A Silver Lining for Every One of Life's Aches and Pains) and Daisyangel (for H and I). I know sometimes it just seems like one disaster after another, so I really do appreciate you all standing by me and continuing to read what I'm writing when I finally get around to lightening things up.**

**Rated K for much fluffiness and sunshine.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds at all, although they do own me and I do own Carrie, Mirkal and Toby, Chloe and India, Kelly, Brad and Ben. **

Jack

"Jack, what do you think love is?"

Jack looked thoughtfully at his 'special friend', as he'd heard his dad referring to Arianna in a conversation the other day. Apparently they were too young to be 'boyfriend' and girlfriend'. Not that he was sure he agreed, but his dad was the wisest man he knew, so surely he wouldn't steer them wrong?

"Well, Aunt Penelope would say that love is the things that make you happy."

Now Arianna looked thoughtful. "Well," she started slowly, "There are lots of things that make me happy. I like my dolls, ice cream, cookies, swinging in the park with Mummy, puppies and kittens, flowers, hugs from Daddy, pretty dresses, bows in my hair and pizza made just like this one," she finished with a small flourish towards the remains of the small pizza in the middle of their table. She shot him a sweet smile.

Jack smiled back and nodded. "Those are all really good things. I like most of that except for dolls, dresses and bows. I also like trains, reading with Daddy, cuddles with Mummy, time spent with Carrie, Toby and playing with my little sisters."

She nodded agreement. "I like my brother too, some of the time anyway. So how do we _show_ love?"

Jack frowned. "Mummy and Daddy kiss lots of the time and tell each other _all_ the time 'I love you'. They also tell me all the time too. But the cuddles also make me feel safe and loved. And Mummy told me that my sisters were created out of love, but that I'm too young to fully understand how that happened and I should ask her in a few years."

"_My_ Daddy told me to ask Mummy how the baby was made. So I did, and Mummy said that babies are created when a man and a woman are together with each other in a way that is more than hugs and kisses." She frowned now too. "She didn't actually say what the more was. Then I asked her if it was always love and she said no, but it was messy, and I should ask her in a few years. Do you think our parents are keeping secrets from us about love because they think we're too little to understand?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, but maybe. I mean, what if we really wouldn't understand? Daddy was telling me about planes and how they stay in the air and I didn't really understand what he meant. So maybe that is why they won't really tell us about love."

Arianna frowned in frustration. "Then how do I show you I love you Jack? If we don't really know what love is, how do I let you know that this is what I feel?"

Jack frowned too. "I know that love is wanting the other person to be happy, like us being here for pizza."

"You bought it for us," Arianna stated slowly. "Does that mean you are showing you love me with it?"

"Yes, I think I am. Yes, with this pizza, know that I love you Arianna."

Her smile was really pretty, like sunshine, Jack thought as she asked happily, "So you love me. How do I show you that I love you?"

_Think Jack, quickly. You want her to stay happy and you want to tell her how you feel. How to do that? Huh, that's it!_

"Ice cream! We can go for dessert and if you pay for it and give it to me, that can be how you show me you love me too."

Watching her happy smile disappear into sadness, Jack wondered what he'd said wrong.

"I don't have any allowance left." They fell silent as they tried to figure out what to do next. Then Arianna began to smile again and he sat up straighter as she shot him another smile filled with sunshine. "You said you like cuddles with your Mummy. What if I gave you a cuddle. Would that show you that I love you?"

Jack bounced slightly. "That's perfect Ari!" He paused as her frown returned. "Why are you sad again?"

"Only Mummy ever calls me Ari. She called me that right before she went away. Are you going to go away too?"

Jack shook his head. "I'm never going away. Not ever," he said firmly.

"You promise?"

"Pinkie promise," he stated, holding out his pinkie and shaking hers with it.

"Yay! Okay, now you can call me Ari." She jumped out of her seat and ran around the table and gave him such a tight hug that he suddenly felt safe again, as even sitting out in the open with his father nearby and making sure no one could get to him had still left him feeling a bit uncertain. In fact, her hug was almost as good as Mummy's."

_Almost..._

New Section

Aaron groaned heavily and Cameron raised an eyebrow at him. "You sound like you're in pain."

Aaron said with gritted teeth, "We're in trouble now."

Realising that his friend was looking in the direction of the kids table, he turned around...and promptly groaned too.

"Yep, the trouble just got knee deep and rising. Didn't you speak to Jack about not getting physical with my daughter?"

"Can I just point out that it's _your daughter_ who is out of her seat and getting physical? Did you have the chat with her?"

He grumbled something unintelligible as he realised that he'd forgotten and watched as Arianna stood back and smiled at Jack. What was worse was the way Jack smiled back.

_Wonder where that knife is..._

"Don't even finish the thought," Aaron growled softly. "She started it. And she's not exactly hurrying to get away from him."

He turned away, unable to watch it any longer. "Yeah well, he's just as guilty; he's not pushing her away."

It was Aaron's turn to grumble and settle back in his seat. The two men shot a glance at their children, then turned their gazes on each other and glared. And a few seconds later, they burst out laughing and exchanged high-five's over their antics.

"I think we need to cool our jets a bit," Aaron said, still chuckling.

"Yeah we do. If Lydia were here, she'd thump me for sure. Hey, maybe we should see if Carrie is willing to chaperon these things. It may be safer for all concerned, particularly the kids."

"For sure," he agreed, grinning and pleased with their decision. "I'll ask her when we get home."

Shaking hands on it, they signalled their waiter for the bill for both their tables and went to take the kids for ice cream.

**End**

**A/N: Right...can I just say how hard it is to write fluffy pieces after writing heavier ones for so long? But again, thanks to my awesome beta, you get sweet pieces like this one.**

**Stay tuned; K is for...**

**Please review with the conveniently placed link right under these words. I love to know what you think and it makes me type faster and update quicker. **


	11. K is for Killing Me Slowly

**A/N: No need to panic over the title; it's time to fill in Carrie's thoughts from the last paragraph of her section with Mirkal from H is for Hormones.**

**I'm really glad to know you all enjoyed the light fluffiness of J. My thanks go out to Wtiger5 (couldn't have done it without you sis), Anonymous, HPforever-after, Daisyangel, HGRHfan35, greengirl82 and Guest (Comfort for a Hurting Heart). I really do appreciate having you all on board with me.**

**Rated T, with some deep, unhappy thinking.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds at all, although they do own me and I do own Carrie, Mirkal and Toby, Chloe and India, Kelly, Brad and Ben. **

Killing Me Slowly

Mirkal shot another sideways glance at his soon-to-be wife and didn't like what he saw any more than he had when he'd glanced at her five minutes ago. This walk was supposed to be filled with love and laughter as they discussed any last minute details required for their upcoming wedding in two weeks. Instead, she'd greeted him almost listlessly, shooed him out the door softly because everyone was sleeping, linked her arms with his, and told him to lead them wherever he wanted them to walk. And that was the last thing she'd said to him before slipping into whatever deep thoughts were running around in her head. And he could tell _none of them_ made her happy.

Spotting a bench facing the duck pond, he steered them off the path and over to the bench. For just a moment, he contemplated tossing her gently in the pond just to get a reaction, but decided that first he would try another tack.

"Carrie?"

He was surprised that she responded to the sound of his voice, but he was incredibly worried when he caught sight of the sick look in her eyes.

"Okay, enough is enough. You talk to me _right now_, or I'm walking away."

_Please don't force me to take such drastic measures when all I want to do is comfort you._

She swallowed hard as a tear slipped down her cheek and whispered, "I'm dying."

"What?" He froze, unable to believe what she was saying.

She looked startled by his reaction, before paling alarmingly. "No, no, no! Mirkal, not physically, I swear." She sighed softly, realising she was going about this all wrong. Sighing again, she linked her arm to his and pulled him to his feet. "Let's keep walking."

He held her still until she turned to face him. "You're not dying? You promise me, before we do or say anything else, that you aren't dying on me."

She closed her eyes against his pain, then realised how unfair that was to him since she'd caused it. Opening her eyes, she lifted her hands to cup his cheeks. "I promise you, Mirkal Renhwah, that I am _not_ dying _physically._ I _am_ dying _metaphorically_ though, but my not being clear about that is my fault, not yours."

He nodded slowly, the panic in his eyes fading as he folded her into a tight hug. "Please don't scare me like that again; I'm too young for gray hair."

She smiled slightly and pulled back. "Can we walk now?"

He gestured to the path and they resumed their slow pace on the winding path. "Will you talk to me now?"

"Yes," she said softly. "But you may not like what I have to say."

"As long as you aren't leaving me, we're all good."

When she didn't say anything for almost a minute, the panic came back; sharper than before and with claws ready to shred his heart. He stopped them again, though it was clear she wanted to move.

"We aren't walking again until you explain this, whatever _this_ is, to me in a way that I can understand. No more pregnant silences, no more misunderstandings. Just spit it out. _Now!_" She flinched slightly at his raised voice, and he winced internally as he took her hands and squeezed them gently. "Honey, please; you're scaring me."

"I don't mean to; I just don't know how to adequately explain what _this_ is. I mean, I know what I want, but I don't know how to get _all_ of what I want without having to compromise something or someone that matters the world to me."

"I can't make things better if I don't know where to start or what I'm facing. So pick somewhere to start and we can work it from there."

She looked up at him. "I keep forgetting you're on my side," she whispered brokenly.

"Why? What did I do to make you forget that you're my world?"

"_You_ didn't. You're an amazing man; one of the kindest and sweetest men I've ever met. The man I wish I'd married first."

"Why do I hear a _but_ in there?"

She looked like she wanted to be sick, but she didn't pull away from the comfort of his arms, so he took that as encouragement that they were getting somewhere.

"When I left Vincent, I originally did it just to protect Toby. I'd long since given up on being protected myself. But a year later, a chance encounter with one of Toby's close friends at school led me to the Hotchners and I discovered what a healthy, loving family is like. For the first time in my life, I felt like I mattered to someone other than my child, that my skills as a mother made me an invaluable asset to the Hotchner family home. And both Toby and I started to heal from our physical and emotional wounds in the safety we'd found. Even when Vincent found us and our lives were at risk, I knew that the Hotchners and their friends would do everything they could to make it right. And I knew when I was kidnapped along with the rest of the girls that no matter what happened, Emily and the rest of the girls had my back. They had accepted me as a friend and as a sister and that meant the world to me.

"But now we're getting married and you have been my dream for years. I fantasized as a teenager and then as a young woman about marrying you and spending the rest of our lives together. Instead, through first your choice not to meet with me that last day, then through my choice to marry Vincent, my dreams got trampled and I started to believe that I wasn't important enough to even _have_ those dreams, let alone see them come true. But through my new life with the Hotchners, I know now that this isn't the case.

"But I also know that I probably won't get _all_ my dreams, and I'm struggling to come to an acceptance of that fact, and the accompanying knowledge that one of the two most important dreams of my life will need to be put aside."

It took him a few seconds to realise that her rush of words had come to a halt, and then it took another few seconds for him assimilate all that she had said. When understanding dawned, he felt a sharp pain in his heart.

"Do you think that, through perhaps not understanding what you want, that I would force you to give up on something important to you? Do you think that little of me?"

"What? No, Mirkal, no. It's not that at all. See? I told you I can't explain it very well. I'm doing this all wrong."

"So tell me your two most important dreams and lets work this together. Carrie..."

She bit her lip hard, hating the pain she was causing him because she couldn't give voice to that which mattered to her most. Yet to stay silent and do nothing...

"I want to marry you, and let you adopt Toby, and have babies with you and grow old with you."

"Sounds like a wonderful dream that is about to come true; well the marrying me and adopting Toby part anyway. The rest can just come when they come. What's the second dream?"

"You know I had a pretty horrible life overall. That the most normal and loved parts of my life occurred with you in India and in the time since I met up with Aaron and Emily. But now, in marrying you, I have to move out of the one place I feel complete, safe and whole, to start a new life with you. I can continue being the Hotchners nanny, but on a part-time basis because I won't be under their roof anymore and I'll be dividing my time between my new family and the only family I've ever truly had. And I don't think I'm ready for that," she finished in a broken whisper.

She was shaking so hard he thought she would fall apart. And the way she held herself, as if waiting for a blow or a harsh word, just about broke his heart. So he pulled her in close to his body and gently guided her head to rest over his heart. There, he held her until the shaking stopped and she relaxed in his arms. And while she stood there, unknowingly secure in his embrace, he thought about how he could somehow make all her dreams come true.

New Section

She almost missed the soft knock at her door, but luckily the person on the other side deemed it important to see her, because the door eased open and a head peered around the doorframe to see if she was awake.

"Hey Mirkal."

"Hi Emily. Do you have a minute?"

"I've got plenty. Come on in."

She eased her body up against the pillows behind her and patted the edge of the bed. "Sit and tell me what brings you here on Carrie's day off."

"I just came from a walk in the park with her. I'll need to head off to work in about 15 minutes, but I wanted to swing by and ask if you'd noticed how unhappy Carrie seemed to be lately."

Emily smiled sadly. "I'd noticed. I just can't seem to get her to talk to me. Then again, I think she may be conspiring with Aaron to make sure I'm not put under any undue pressure or stress."

"Is everything alright?" Mirkal asked worriedly.

"It's fine," she said grumpily. "My over-protective husband is simply paranoid."

Mirkal coughed and rubbed a hand over his mouth, trying to erase his smile before she spotted it.

"I'm sure he means well."

"Humph. The only one who truly understands is Teresa, so I'm not getting into it with you."

"Fair enough," he said with another attempt to hide his amusement. "That's not why I came here anyway."

"Mmm. You said something about Carrie, which leads me to believe that you are about to risk my husbands wrath."

Mirkal winced slightly, but nodded. "This is too important to stay silent on."

Emily shifted again, hiding a wince as a too-well-placed foot kicked her kidney for the third time in an hour. She gently stroked that spot, trying to calm the child within as she focused her whole attention on Mirkal.

"Start whenever you're ready."

"Are you sure you're alright?"

She waved that off and looked at him expectantly. With another sigh, he said softly, "When I left Carrie, she was trying to decide what she wanted most; marriage to me, or the job that allows her to live here, with her _family_."

Emily blinked slowly, her sluggish brain trying to wrap around that statement and figure out exactly what it meant. She didn't like how long that took but when it dawned on her exactly what he meant, she found she was suddenly as sharp as ever.

"Wait; are you saying that Carrie would seriously choose not to marry you if she has to move out of here?"

"Yes, I am." Her eyes grew huge as she listened to him detail the conversation he'd had with his fiancée not an hour ago. He concluded with, "I know it's asking a lot, but do you think Carrie and I could rent her suite of rooms from you and Aaron? Just until she feels more comfortable with the idea of us getting our own place."

"You do realise within the next few months, there will be four babies under 15 months living in this home. It's not going to be a quiet place to settle into your married life."

"I can deal with that. What I can't deal with is spending the rest of my life without the woman I love. The rest we'll sort out as it comes. That is, if you guys say yes. If you don't, I doubt Carrie will be a ray of sunshine for months to come and I know I'd probably end up being just as bad. And I so didn't say that to make you feel guilty..."

"It's alright Mirkal. I know you're just stating fact. I obviously can't make the decision by myself, so I'll call Aaron and see if he's got a few minutes to discuss it now before you leave. Then you can hopefully give Carrie the good news while she's still out and about."

"Are you sure? You've got two weeks here to discuss it before the wedding."

She smiled gently at him. "I know what my answer is and it really is just a matter of checking with Aaron, but I'm almost completely certain I know what his answer will be as well. In which case, you will want to be reassured soonest that everything is going to be alright. But first, help me to the bathroom."

"How do you normally manage this?" he asked curiously as he supported her as she stood.

"Well, you saw Jordan when you came in? Well, I'd call her to come and help me up."

"Can you get up on your own?"

"Not with any ease, and I tend to need to lean on something while I wait for the oxygen in my body to get used to pumping a little faster and harder while I'm upright and mobile. My passing out that day in the nursery was too scary for words."

"For everyone involved. Do you think India and Chloe remember?"

"I know they do. They get really distressed if I'm lying down with my eyes closed and not moving. And now that they're a year old and starting to say 'mama' when they see me, it's not only distressing for them, it's distressing for me to hear them wail 'mama' if they think something is wrong with me. Not to mention all the adults in the vicinity come running just in case something really is wrong."

"I couldn't imagine anything worse."

She nodded and thanked him as she eased into the bathroom. He waited outside until she was done and helped her back to bed. He watched as she pulled her phone out from under the pillow and hit a couple of keys. Then they waited to see if Aaron would pick up.

"Talk dirty to me baby."

Emily smothered a laugh. It was such an Aaron greeting at the moment, designed to make her smile through her discomfort. And normally she would respond appropriately, but not today.

"Well I would, but you've already made Mirkal blush, so I think I'll save that for later."

"Whoops. Sorry Mirkal. Wait, what are you doing in my wife's bedroom?"

"Talking to me about Carrie, and no you can't have a go at him for bringing the serious stuff to me; it was necessary."

"Fine, I'll let it slide; this once. So what's up?"

New Section

Carrie finished signing the log in front of her and accepted her pass from the security officer sitting behind the desk in the foyer of the FBI building. She turned towards the lift and nearly ran into Teresa.

"Hey Carrie, I thought that might be you. Are you here to see Mirkal?"

Carrie hugged Teresa and nodded. She felt better for talking to Mirkal. Knowing that he understood and he wanted to help her figure out a way to have all her dreams come true as much as she did had settled her nervousness. Receiving his message, that he really needed to talk to her because he'd come up with a possible solution, had set butterflies flying in her tummy. More than anything, she wanted everything to work out her way and though she knew that was unreasonable, it was how she felt and she'd take any help she could get. She hoped.

"You here to see Dave?"

"Mmm. He's taking me out for afternoon tea, because I've felt like old-fashioned scones with jam and cream for the last few weeks. And apparently he just knows _the_ most perfect place in the city for it."

"He's actually going to let you get away with eating something that unhealthy? While you're pregnant?"

Teresa laughed as the lift doors closed. "I threatened to divorce him if he didn't let me indulge at _least_ once a month. And then the doctor said that it wouldn't harm the baby, or me. I don't know; maybe I looked sufficiently convincing when I mentioned the divorce in jest or something. However that worked, I'm running with it while I can. I need to get some pleasure out of my discomfort."

Carrie joined her in laughter as they stepped out of the lift to be greeted by a grinning Mirkal. He picked her up after shooting Teresa a warm smile, spun her around and kissed her soundly.

"Guess what?"

She tipped her head slightly to the side and smiled back, because she couldn't not in light of his happiness. "What?"

"You're going to marry me in two weeks without compromising a thing."

She raised an eyebrow in question, but he just grinned at her and tugged her towards the bullpen. "Come on; everyone wants to say hello."

They followed Teresa into the open room and she was swept up in a hug from Kelly that was just a little bit too tight.

"Hey Kelly, are you alright?" she whispered softly.

Kelly pulled back and flashed a bright, shiny, fake smile. "I'm fine; I mean, why wouldn't I be? Teresa's here and she's pregnant. The guys here all have children, except for Dave, Esther and Mirkal, who will soon be adopting your son. You _have_ your son. And I can't have children, so why shouldn't I be alright?"

Carrie gave her another hug as Kelly wiped away a couple of tears. "Don't mind me," she whispered sadly.

"What happened exactly?" Carrie asked.

"The adoption agency mentioned they might have a child for us a couple of weeks ago, but they called yesterday to say that we had been unsuccessful in this instance. We said we understood, but really; do they have any idea how much it hurt to have our hope get taken away like that?"

As Kelly started crying softly in earnest, Carrie led her away from the bullpen and down to the bathroom. She kept quiet, deciding that offering platitudes from her position as a mother was perhaps not the best thing she could do for this incredibly sensitive woman.

When they returned to the bullpen a few minutes later, Teresa had stolen Kelly's chair and was slowly swinging it side to side with her foot.

"What happened to afternoon tea with Dave?" Carrie asked as Kelly settled on the edge of Derek's desk.

"Dave and Aaron are in with the dragon lady. They all look pretty serious, but they say it doesn't have to do with a case, so we're just waiting for them to finish. Then we'll hopefully head off," Teresa added with a narrow-eyed look at Aaron's office.

"Is Dave driving you bananas yet?" Derek asked in amusement.

Teresa shot him a look full of mischief. "Now why on earth would you think he'd do that?"

They all laughed at her tongue-in-cheek response. "How long do you have to go now?" Mirkal asked curiously.

She stroked her belly with a small smile. "Just long enough that one or both of us may not survive Dave's caveman attitudes. I'm due in 9 weeks."

"More than you can say for poor JJ," Carrie added.

Esther tipped her head to the side. "How so?"

Derek shot her a relaxed smile. "She was due a week ago."

"Ouch."

"It probably won't be too long now." Everyone turned to see Penelope standing there with Gwendolyn in her arms. With a soft cheer, everyone gravitated to her side and it was several minutes later before Carrie thought to question the bubbly blondes' opening statement.

Penelope laughed as she watched Kelly cuddle her daughter. "JJ is nesting intensely. Will admitted when JJ was in the kitchen earlier today when I visited that she'd cleaned the house top to bottom twice in the last week. The nursery itself had been cleaned three times that morning."

"Sounds like Austin in the last few days," Reid said, then paled as he clearly heard belatedly what he'd said. He was pulling out his phone to call his wife as Erin Strauss stepped out of Aaron's office and headed off towards her own.

As she disappeared out of sight, they all heard Austin shout from the other end of the phone line, "No, I am _not_ in labour. I have _one week_ to go. _Stop hovering_." And it was equally clear as Reid winced that she'd hung up on him.

Penelope laughed outright as Derek chuckled, Kelly, Carrie and Esther turned their heads to hide their smiles and Mirkal just rolled his eyes as Reid blushed and mumbled something unintelligible.

Dave and Aaron stopped for a moment to admire Gwendolyn before Penelope said they were off to see daddy and retrieved her child from Kelly's reluctant arms. Then Dave helped Teresa up and they walked off to afternoon tea. Derek, Reid, Esther and Kelly returned to their work, and Carrie followed Mirkal and Aaron up to Aaron's office.

After several minutes of easy small talk designed to deal with her nerves, and that only made her more nervous with anticipation, Aaron said quietly, "Mirkal mentioned that you aren't ready to move yet."

She blinked in surprise at the sudden shift in conversation as she slowly nodded. "That's true. I feel safe where I am, and I feel that moving at this time would undo all the hard work we've all put in to get me to the point where I can fully be confident in myself and my ability to live my life without constant fear."

"Fair enough. Emily and I both wish you'd talked to us weeks ago when we first noticed you seemed to start struggling with this, but it was an easy enough decision to make. If you can deal with starting your marriage with four infants all living under the same roof, we are happy to allow you, Mirkal and Toby to keep your suite of rooms for as long as you need them. We would have offered them to you for free, but Mirkal explained his reasoning for paying us rent and we agreed with this and will allow it for now. And if I'm brutally honest, I'm relieved that this is what you want. Yes, you'll be away for a month on your honeymoon, but when you return and my paternity leave is over, I have the assurance that when I am away on cases, the two of you will be there watching over my family. And for me, at the moment, that is everything."

Carrie stared at him in shock. "You mean I don't have to go?"

Aaron grinned at her. "Not at all. You know why I'm relieved that you want to stay. Emily's relief comes from her understanding that this means avoiding having to interview for a new nanny, something that would take precious energy she doesn't have. So you are both more than welcome for as long as you feel you need to reach your goal of confident living in any situation."

"Just like that?" she questioned faintly.

"Exactly just like that."

"Mirkal?"

"I know you want to know if I'm truly happy with this arrangement. I went to Emily first, because I know she's been really worried about you. I told her what you'd told me and I told her that what I wanted was to stay because having you in my life is the single most important goal of my life at this moment. Life without you in it isn't worth living and I'm doing whatever it takes to prove to you that you are _entirely_ worth it. And hopefully one day soon, you'll start to believe that yourself."

Swallowing against the need to burst into tears at that declaration, Carrie said wistfully, "I wish I'd said something sooner. I could have saved myself, Toby, Emily and the two of you a whole lot of concern."

"So what will you do next time?" Aaron asked with a raised brow.

"Say something sooner?"

"Exactly. Now, much as I'm loving this little chat, I need to kick you both out so I can get some work done before I head home."

Carrie jumped up and without thinking about it, raced around her boss's desk and hugged him tight. "Thank you so much for this. I really didn't want to move or go to part time work. Thank you for making all my dreams come true."

"Don't thank me; thank Mirkal. He's the one who loves you enough to go to any lengths to keep you with him."

She shot him a beaming smile and bounced out of the room. Mirkal shot his boss a grateful look and mouthed a heartfelt 'thank you' before following the love of his life out to the landing and pulling his door closed.

Carrie jumped into his arms and kissed him soundly. He ignored the wolf whistles and cat calls as he hugged her tight.

"So what happens now, Carrie. Now that all your dreams are coming true, what do you do next?"

She shot him a happy smile, a joyous turnaround from her resigned sadness that morning. "We get married and make more dreams together."

"Sounds like a plan honey, sounds like a wonderful, wonderful plan."

**End**

**A/N: This chapter is proof that I listen to my readers; you wanted Carrie to stay on as nanny, and for Emily and Aaron to get a bigger place with a special spot just for the happy newlyweds. Well, if you remember the first alphabet, their place is just absolutely massive anyway and the rest has all been sorted now. So if you have any other words of wisdom or advice to share, feel free. I may just incorporate it in, but then again I may not. But I do read and appreciate it all.**

**And just so you aren't all left thinking I've left Kelly out in the cold childless, I promise you, I haven't forgotten her and Brad. You simply need to wait and be patient just a little bit longer. But it will definitely be worth the wait.**

**Stay tuned; L is for...**

**I love knowing what you think of what I write. So please fill out the box below with a few (or a lot of) words and let me know what you think. **


	12. L is for Labour of Love

**A/N: Yay! I got my mojo back!**

**I am a bad author. Bad, bad author! I'm so sorry for the delay in getting this one out. I have been going through a blasé mood, where the reading is far more appealing than the writing to me. But I am working through this and intent on bringing you some amazing chapters as quickly as I can churn them out to make up for my terrible lapse. Particularly since in just under two weeks (yay!) I will be going on holiday and I won't be doing much in the way of writing for a month (World, here I come!). I'll try to leave you with lots of warm fuzzies before I go.**

**I could not have gotten this far without all of you behind me, encouraging me in my endeavours. Big thanks to megameighteen (J & K), Daisyangel, Hazmatt (J & K), HGRHfan35 and HPforever-after. I'm really glad to know that everyone is happy with how I worked Carrie back into the story, even though she hadn't technically left yet. See, you all have power in this series too. **

**Rated M for language and scenes that may be graphic in nature.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds at all, although they do own me and I do own Carrie, Mirkal and Toby, Chloe and India, Kelly, Brad and Ben. **

Labour of Love

The sound of shattering glass and tearing metal was loud through the intersection as the truck slammed into the car at sixty miles an hour. People screamed in fear and horror as the two cars spun in a dizzying circle, forcing other vehicles surrounding them to swerve to avoid joining the crumpled mess. As an eerie silence fell over the square surrounded by tall office buildings, the sound of a man swearing loudly mingled with the sound of close to a dozen people on the phone to emergency services.

Fifteen minutes later, the first responders arrived on the scene, much to the relief of the two brave nurses who had stepped away from their coffee date to see if they could help the injured. The driver of the truck that had run the red light had mercifully passed out a minute before, putting an end to the curses and snide jokes about women and bad drivers. Unfortunately he had an incredibly nasty head wound that was still bleeding freely and right before he'd passed out, they'd both noticed that his pupils were dilating unevenly. Their only resulting conclusion was that he'd still been conscious only because of a combination of alcohol, and possibly drugs.

Rory shook his head as he pulled on his heavy duty gloves and stepped away from the fire rescue truck he'd arrived in. "What a mess. And it is always the ass who is drunk who comes off so lightly."

His partner, Gavin, raised an eyebrow. "I don't think bleeding in the brain is getting off lightly man. Sounds like he was a mess when the medics peeled out of here a moment ago."

Rory snorted. "Not messed up enough for this as far as I'm concerned."

They stared at the vehicle that had been squashed into a small square and sighed heavily. Exchanging grim smiles at their timing, they set about getting into the vehicle in the best way possible without possibly doing further damage to anyone who might actually still be alive on the inside of the crumpled mess. Minutes later both men swore softly.

"Hey boss, we got a family in here!"

A big barrel of a man moved toward them, medics in tow in the hopes that they would be needed.

"Anyone living?" he asked quietly.

Gavin eased a young, crying child out of the back seat carefully and to the waiting medics before trying to get in through the broken window. He half crawled, half fell into the backseat and grunted in pain as a particularly sharp bit of metal poked into his side.

"Damned small cars lacking safety. Families should always have 4WDs for added safety."

"You know as well as the rest of us that large cars are just as likely to sustain damage as small cars in the right circumstances. What about the adults in the front?"

Gavin muttered something uncomplimentary under his breath. "Right, father is dead. There isn't any way around that fact." He turned from the man with his head half-severed from his neck and shifted the pile of blood-matted blonde hair off the woman's shoulder in order to reach her neck. Shifting on his knees to get a better angle, he started, "The mother..."

"What?" Rory demanded.

Gavin peered out at his partner, a bleak look in his eyes. "She's pregnant Rory. Heavily pregnant."

Everyone waiting outside the car swore softly. "Is she alive?" his boss asked quickly.

"Barely. The damage I can see, if she makes it as far as the hospital, it'll be an absolute miracle."

One of the medics peered in at him. "Can you get her out? If she's still alive, the doctors at the hospital may be able to save the baby, even if they eventually lose the mother."

Gavin paused thoughtfully, before nodding slowly. "It's doable. Rory?"

"What do you need man?"

Twenty minutes later, they peeled the metal from the front of the car just as Gavin shook his head tiredly. "Dammit all to hell. What an absolute, fucked-up mess. There's nothing more we can do for her now, is there?"

The medic shook his head. "Not true. She's not dead right? If we can get her to the hospital fast enough, it may still be that the baby will pull through anyway."

Gavin nodded in defeat and continued to facilitate the blonde's removal from the car, muttering all the while about what a tragedy it was. But finally she was out of the car and Gavin blinked in shock.

"Well I'll be damned."

New Section

Austin looked up from her chair in the waiting room of the maternity ward as the door opened for the first time in almost an hour. A tired smile slid across her face as JJ eased through the door and moved to take a seat on the couch beside her. Reid turned from the window and waved slightly before turning back to the view.

"Hi JJ. Is it time?"

JJ rolled her eyes. "Yes. I'm thankfully here because the little guy _finally_ decided it's time to make an entrance to the world."

"At least you know you're having a little guy."

"Still no clue as to the sex of your little one?" JJ asked sympathetically. Austin grumbled something unintelligible as she focused on breathing through a contraction. JJ waited until she was breathing easily again before asking, "So why are you in here? I thought surely you would be in a room already."

Austin snorted. "Please. I'm not far along enough yet for them to admit me. Which is what I tried to tell my adoring, panicky husband as he bundled me up and carried me out the front door the moment I started breathing funny and moaning in pain. Only now he is refusing to drive me home because it could suddenly get interesting and home is too far from help. So I'll sit here for however many hours it is before I get far enough along for them to give me a room and Spencer has promised not to breathe down my neck while we wait."

Will smiled in warm amusement as he joined them. "How's that goin' so far?"

Austin grinned back. "Not so great, but he'll live...for now."

Reid blushed as JJ and Will laughed. "Well it sounds like we're in the same boat. But I'm not quite as bad as my young friend here. Jayje, we can head home if you want to. We aren't quite there yet according to the nurse."

JJ sighed and shook her head. "I'm too tired to waddle back to the car. This baby is finally coming; I'm quite happy to stay and wait."

Will nodded and settled in to the seat beside his wife as Austin and JJ started talking about birthing and other things that made both men blush and squirm uncomfortably.

New Section

"Something's tickled your funny bone. Care to share?"

Aaron grinned at his wife. "Brad just messaged me from the hospital to say he was entertaining two heavily pregnant women while they waited to be admitted to their rooms. He wanted me to come rescue him."

Emily smiled. "So JJ's finally there?"

"Yup. And when she arrived at the maternity wards' waiting room, she found Austin and Reid were already there waiting. Apparently Reid is in full panic mode."

"That's totally adorable, yet utterly understandable considering the circumstances. So are you going to rescue Brad?"

"In a bit. I'm waiting for Carrie and Mirkal to get back from the park with the kids first."

Emily sighed softly. "Aaron, I'm not going anywhere in the next little bit. You can leave me alone without worrying about me."

"I'm sure I could in my head, but my heart tells me to stay for your safety. So stay I will. Please don't turn this into a big deal."

"I won't, because I know how much you love me, but I have to admit that I'm beginning to feel just a bit claustrophobic and smothered by never really being left alone."

"I _do_ understand Em, and I promise that it will stop as soon as we take you to the hospital. But until then, I intend to ensure your absolute safety. Now, I'll leave you to it until Carrie and Mirkal get back."

Emily watched her husband walk out of the room and swore softly as her eyes fluttered closed. She hated that her honesty had hurt her husband's feelings, but it had needed to be said. The feeling she had that she couldn't actually take care of herself because there was always someone around doing it for her, slammed her independence like nothing else in her life ever had before. And she hated it with a passion.

"Hey guys, I need you to stay in to 37 weeks for your own safety, but please feel free to come before the 40 week mark. Daddy's driving mummy crazy and mummy is hurting daddy because of it. And none of it is healthy."

With the sure thought that there was no way she was having any more children after these two were born, she drifted off into an unhappy sleep.

New Section

"Did you get the message from Brad too?" Dave asked in amusement as he ran into Derek, Jordan and Aaron coming out of the lift.

"I'm guessing we all got that message," Jordan replied with a grin.

Dave led them to where he sat with Teresa and Kelly. Brad was nowhere to be seen.

"Do you think Penelope and Kevin will turn up?"

"Penelope is looking after Henry for Will and JJ, since Reid is otherwise occupied."

"So Kevin is in charge of Gwendolyn?"

"Probably. _If_ Penelope let her out of her sight. The way she is at the moment, I don't know how she's going to cope when she returns to work."

Aaron grinned. "Knowing how crazy she is, she'll most likely turn up with the baby in tow and try to pass her off as a trainee braniac."

They were all laughing as Austin and JJ slowly waddled around the corner. Both women were dressed in the perpetual hospital gown and were being shadowed by their husbands, neither of whom looked less than pleased to be out and about walking around.

"Somebody share the joke before I kill someone," JJ growled as she reached the group.

Seeing she was serious, Aaron repeated his comment before asking what they were doing out and about.

"Don't you dare start that with me Aaron Hotchner. Don't you dare!"

Aaron blinked at the furious look Austin shot him with her words and held up his hands in surrender.

JJ smiled tightly. "Both of us felt the need for motion after being told that things were moving slower than we wanted to hear about. So we met up in the hall when the guys were off getting coffee and decided to lap the ward a couple of times. Of course, then the guys caught up to us and we haven't heard the end of it since."

"Sounds like the problem I had with Derek and Ben," Jordan said with warm amusement. "All I wanted was to walk and all Derek wanted was for me to lie down and rest. Let's just say we clashed a couple of times before we were done with it."

Derek muttered something under his breath and Jordan patted his arm.

"Where _is_ Ben? In fact, where are _all_ the children?" Austin asked as she slowly rocked side to side on her feet, one hand on Dave's shoulder for balance.

"Carrie is looking after everyone so we could be here for support for the four of you and for Brad."

"Why would Brad...ahhhhhhhhhhhh!" Dave winced as Austin's hand gripped his shoulder in a vice and though he wanted to wiggle out of range, he stayed still for her support as she doubled over slightly.

"Was that contraction stronger than the others? Did that seem stronger to all of you?"

Most of the group shrugged as Reid looked at them with panic in his eyes. They stayed silent as he encouraged Austin to walk back the way they had come but the moment they were out of sight and Dave started rolling his shoulder to check for broken bones, Derek leaned forward and stated, "50 bucks says pretty boy faints at the last moment."

New Section

Several hours later, JJ had stopped walking the ward and the baby had engaged; they were just waiting for word of the safe birth of the newest La Montagne.

Austin on the other hand was in the same position she had been in when the group first saw her. Only Reid looked completely mussed up and desperate, and Austin actually looked like she was ready to murder her husband. And as they came within earshot, they found she sounded like she just might do it too.

"Austin, did you know that not all babies only spend forty weeks in the womb? It has been recorded in some cases that the babies stay in for much longer and that the longest recorded pregnancy was well in excess of one year?"

Austin stopped moving forward, turned slowly to face her husband and took a slight step into his space.

"I swear, if you spout one more useless, less-than-comforting fact within my hearing, I am going to personally break every bone in your body by tossing you off the closest balcony. And considering we have lovely views from our 13th story room, I'll stand there and watch you fall and _know_ that everything is definitely broken. Capish?"

Reid nodded, a little too rapidly for comfort, and Derek pushed away from the wall he'd been leaning against while trying not to laugh out loud.

"Come on pretty boy. Let's go get you some air while Austin regains her equilibrium and decides she loves you again."

"Not bloody likely," Austin muttered under her breath as Jordan and Teresa moved in on either side of her and encouraged her to keep moving.

Dave and Aaron held their breaths as everyone moved off, watching as Kelly joined the women until everyone was again out of sight.

"So old man, are you taking notes on what _not_ to do with Teresa?"

Dave snorted. "Teresa has already started with the threats and we still have seven weeks to go. I already have a list of instructions as long as my arm on what she expects of my conduct while she is delivering our son."

Aaron grinned. "I'd bet anything that entire list will be forgotten the moment you realise it's time."

"Most likely. And in my defence, I did tell her that was likely. She just levelled that look at me she gets that tells me I'm treading on thin ice. So I figure I'll wait until it's time and hope that I'm not the only one to forget."

Jordan suddenly came running up. "Have Derek and Reid returned yet?"

"Nope. They prob..." Aaron stopped talking as Jordan muttered something uncomplimentary and ran off.

"I'm guessing it is time for the little protégé to be born. Pity boy genius is nowhere to be seen."

New Section

The Reid's protégé wasn't the only one coming. The group sat together in the hall and winced with every scream, curse and cry they heard coming from the two nearby rooms that held their friends. Will was well versed in what to expect and was coping admirably, but Reid was clearly noticeable by his high-pitched, squeaky voice demanding the doctor _do_ something for his wife on a regular basis. Brad had joined them and though he appeared sympathetic, he was clearly struggling not to laugh every time Reid opened his mouth.

"You know, you could try being more sympathetic," Derek pointed out reasonably.

"Why? The man in there trying to deliver the little Reid practically begged for the opportunity. He's on fourth year rotation and fully believes with an attitude that borders on cocky that he can handle any version of the soon-to-be-father that will deign to make an appearance in his presence. So his supervisor spoke to me and I agreed that it would be a good learning experience for the young man."

"That's just evil man, which is probably why I like it so much. But remind me; why are you in charge here again?"

Brad shot Derek a loose salute and a cheeky grin that quickly faded. "Staff shortages. And because I had the most experience of anyone with any seniority in Obstetric medicine, they bumped me up the chain of command. Luckily it will only be for a couple of weeks. They'd already hired a few people for positions they knew would shortly be in need of filling, and they are in the process for a couple more they suddenly found they needed when several people quit."

"Problems in the unit?"

"Nothing substantiated," he said with a shrug. "But there were rumours aplenty about Elizabeth's replacement before he was fired."

"What happened to Elizabeth?" Aaron asked, remembering the woman who'd had such a hand in the birth of his girls.

"She transferred to California. I know the administrators did their best to talk her out of it, but she said she needed some sunshine in her old age. I personally think she may have met someone and simply not wanted the grapevine here to know about it, but she neither denied nor confirmed the rumours, so I couldn't say for sure."

A nurse suddenly appeared in the doorway, looking more than a little pleased. "Are you all with the La Montagnes?"

They were just about to answer when another nurse appeared and looked about the room. "Friends of the Reids?"

Half an hour later, they silently trooped into the double room JJ and Austin had elected to share and moved immediately to where the two wheeled cribs sat between the two beds. Kelly, Teresa and Jordan sighed happily and the guys smiled as they looked at the babies currently sleeping soundly.

"Can we take photos?" Dave whispered.

"As long as you don't use the flash, now would be the best time to do so, before they wake up and we kick you all out."

"So did you pass out pretty boy?" Derek asked Reid teasingly as Jordan pulled out the camera and started taking photos.

Austin glared at him. "I'll have you know Spencer was my rock in there. He got a little pale, but he never wavered and he never left my side, not even to put his head down on the floor, willingly or otherwise. He even cut the cord, which I thought was very brave of him. So tease him at your peril."

Derek held his hands up in surrender as everyone laughed softly.

"So, introduce us," Aaron demanded softly in his best boss-tone.

This brought more soft laughter as JJ and Austin shared warm smiles. Austin gestured to the older woman to go first.

"Right then, Henry's little brother is no doubt going to be a bit of a troublemaker, considering he took so long to get here, but despite all that, the name that we think suits him best is Alexander Lucas. So everyone, meet Alexander Lucas La Montagne."

A reverent silence followed this announcement, before Austin shot everyone a beaming smile. "Despite waiting for ten long months to find out who our firstborn is, the wait has proved more than worth it. Everyone, say hello to Mackenzie Christine Reid."

"Awww, that's just gorgeous," Jordan whispered as Mackenzie made her presence known.

Kelly eased to the back of the group as everyone jockeyed for the honour of first cuddle with their honorary niece. Moving out into the hall, she took some slow, deep breaths as she fought a losing battle with her emotions. Having Brad's familiar, comforting smell wrap around her helped her somewhat as she sunk into the warmth he offered.

"It isn't forever beloved heart. Someday it'll be our turn."

She nodded, but found she couldn't verbalise her response because she wasn't so sure anymore that she believed what Brad was saying.

The sounds of mothers comforting their babies, families meeting the new arrivals and medical staff moving about surrounded her, pricking at her heart like sharp little needles seeking to find her weakness and bleed it dry. She was so grateful to Brad for the strength he offered, anchoring her in place in the midst of the storm they found themselves in.

Finally feeling steady again, she pulled back and smiled weakly up at this man she loved more than anything else in the world. "I'll be alright, you know?"

His smile melted her insides and made her feel stronger. "I know you will honey; this is you after all."

Her smile grew as she tipped her chin up for the kiss she could see in his eyes. His lips had just met hers when the sound of a woman walking smartly impinged on their moment. They pulled apart as the noise faltered slightly before moving in their direction.

"The two of you managed to get here incredibly fast considering I only left the message for you not five minutes ago. What did you do, fly here?"

Turning, they blinked in surprise as they saw the woman now standing in front of them.

**End**

**A/N: I know you may all be sitting there and thinking 'Huh?', but just bare with me, because you will find out pretty quickly where I am going with this. I promise that it won't be this long til you see the next chapter, and I am really thankful for anyone still with me after such a long wait.**

**Stay tuned; M is for...**

**Please review with the conveniently placed link right under these words. I love to know what you think and it makes me type faster and update quicker. **


	13. M is for Miracles Do Happen

**A/N: Back on track, despite being on a crazy holiday abroad. Just a warning for you all; the main characters of this chapter are Kelly and Brad as I answer the 'Huh?' moment I left you with at the end of L. Rather than leave you in a suspense of waiting, I'm jumping straight into this; literally starting it the moment L finished. **

**Woohoo! I swear I figured I'd been dumped by everyone when it took me so long to update with L and honestly, I wouldn't have blamed anyone for leaving me in the dust. But when I woke up and checked my notifications the day after I posted, I was shocked to see that I had reviews! My thanks go out to melodic2686, Wtiger5, sarahb2007, NicknHotchfan, HGRHfan35, Daisyangel and HPforever-after. I am so grateful that you haven't jumped off this ship and I promise that I'll attempt a better consistency from now on.**

**This chapter is dedicated to my beautiful American sister Becca, who has just made these last ten days of my holiday so incredibly enjoyable. Thanks for the fun and laughter, and especially thanks for your invaluable medical advice...I couldn't do this crazy journey of life and writing as well without you. Love you lots.**

**Rated K+, cause I think you'll find this is one of the sweeter chapters. Also, please note that the author was crying in the making of this chapter, so tissues may be required in some parts (unless she was just tired, which was incredibly likely).**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds at all, although they do own me and I do own Carrie, Mirkal and Toby, Chloe and India, Kelly, Brad and Ben. **

Miracles Do Happen

"The two of you managed to get here incredibly fast considering I only left the message for you not five minutes ago. What did you do, fly here?"

Turning, they blinked in surprise as they saw the woman now standing in front of them.

"Well, never mind that; you're here and that is incredibly fortuitous. Come with me quickly. This isn't normally available, but in this instance everyone is prepared to make an exception under the circumstances."

She turned and moved rapidly off in the direction she'd come from, leaving Kelly and Brad reeling as they tried to piece together what was going on. Wilma Phillips had been the third adoption agent they had visited, having been informed by the first two that their age was not sufficient enough to meet minimum requirements despite the unchangeable fact that neither of them would ever be able to have children. Wilma had heard them out, taken all their paperwork, and informed them that she would call with her final decision by the end of that week. Three days later they celebrated the knowledge that she understood and was on their side. And now she was here, at the hospital, behaving in a way that made no sense to either of them.

Exchanging a confused look, they followed her out of the ward and across to the surgical suite reserved for surgeries that were Maternity-related. She hurried them into gowns and gloves and all but pushed them toward the nearby door.

"Obviously Brad is a doctor, so I don't need to worry about him. But Kelly, how do you feel about the sight of blood?"

Kelly's eyebrow rose. "I work for the FBI Wilma; you need to be comfortable with the potential for shooting criminals and seeing their blood. But I'm confused as to why that matters and why we are here."

"And why you're here," Brad added quickly.

"No time to explain that now. Let's go."

She quickly led them through the door and into the middle of carefully controlled chaos.

"Charles, I can't hold her any longer."

"You don't need to Patrick; I'm where I need to be." The surgeon looked up and blinked in shock. "Brad? What're you doing here?"

"I'm actually still not sure about that myself Charles. What's happening?"

"Head on collision with a drunk driver in a truck. The husband was dead at the scene but the wife made it to the hospital somehow and we thought maybe we could save her and her baby. Unfortunately though she has massive internal bleeding and the baby started showing signs of distress. I was just making the call to bring her in for this emergency caesarean when we realised her heart was leaking blood. Patrick has been trying to repair her wounds while I went in to find the baby, but we've reached the point where she's bleeding out faster than we can find and fix the damage. We'll let her go rather than prolong her suffering and hopefully manage to save the baby in the process."

"Ah, forgive my ignorance, but that only explains what is happening in this room. It doesn't explain why we are here," Kelly stated tentatively as she pressed closer to Brad's side.

Wilma sighed. "I thought that would have been obvious by now. We got their names off their licences and traced them back to their families. They were both single children of single children and because they were born late in the lives of their parents, their parents are already dead. I had enough time to check for godparents, friends and other relatives and it turns out that they are drifters with none of the above to speak of; their last fixed address was almost ten years ago before they married. Which means the options are foster care or adoption. I was already here on another case, so I was on hand from the moment the mother arrived at the hospital. I checked, and you're still the next couple on the list at the agency.

"So for all that long-winded explanation, the reason you're here is that you're about to become parents. I'd normally give you far more notice, but Charles was kind enough to agree to you being present at the birth if you arrived in time."

A baby's disgruntled, unhappy wailing filled the sudden silence as the machines were all turned off and the shock she'd been feeling broke wide open as a fierce need to comfort welled up from the depths of Kelly's bruised heart.

"Tell me this isn't a joke. _Promise me_ that you aren't going to turn around in a day or so and tell us we missed out this time too," Brad demanded forcefully as Kelly shifted closer to the surgical table and the medical staff separating the baby from its mother.

"I promise you, this child's birth certificate will show that the two of you are its parents and absolutely _no one_ will be popping out of the woodwork to contest your rights."

A nurse turned away from the table with the baby in her arms and smiled through the mask she wore.

"It's a boy. Would you like to hold him?"

"You promise?" Kelly whispered as the doubts began to fade away and her arms started to ache with her need to _hold_ the child.

Wilma smiled gently. "You have a son Kelly; a son who sounds like he could use the comforting beat of his mother's heart in this loud, cold new world. Why don't you give him a cuddle before the nurse has to take him to check him over."

"Actually, in light of what has happened, we'll be taking him down to NICU for that," the nurse said with a smile. "They'll be able to check him over thoroughly since we have no medical records from his mother's pregnancy though I can see that he looks to be incredibly healthy considering what he has been through. You can come down with me to see where he'll be while he is here, but unfortunately you won't be able to carry him down yourself due to hospital policy. But you can definitely have a cuddle here before we go."

Kelly swallowed hard as her heart stopped beating and her breath backed up in her lungs. Unable to believe that this was real, she kept waiting for someone to wake her up and tell her she was dreaming as she reached for the baby. It wasn't until he was in her arms that her breath whooshed out hard and her heart started racing as the tears started sliding down her cheeks.

"Hey there baby, hush now. Hush little one, you're alright. Mama's got you now and she's never letting you go."

She felt Brad move in closer, but found she couldn't tear her gaze away from the tiny treasure slowly quieting in her arms as she gently rocked him. Then his arms closed about her and for the first time since they'd started the crazy journey to parenthood, she felt complete. Finally looking up, she smiled as he leaned down and kissed her tenderly and when she looked back down at _her son_, she found that Brad had lifted a hand to gently cup his small head.

"Look at him Brad; he's just beautiful."

"I see him sweetheart and I have to say, he's just as beautiful as his mother."

Kelly placed a soft kiss on her sons tiny, wrinkled forehead and smiled hugely as he yawned and wrapped his little hand around the finger she stroked him with.

"I don't think I'm ever going to be able to let him go," she admitted in a whisper.

"Unfortunately I do need you to put him in the crib now so we can take him down to NICU. The doctor will look him over there and then you can cuddle him again to your hearts content." The nurse gently nudged them in the direction of the wheeled crib sitting near the door and with great reluctance, Kelly placed the baby on the padding. The nurse gave her an encouraging smile and led them from the room and to the next floor down. "Down here you have the nursery, PICU and our destination, which is NICU. If he checks out alright here, they'll settle him in the nursery."

"When can we take him home?" Brad asked, suddenly anxious to get his new family home and settled lest anyone try to take away their happiness.

"All being well, I'd say about three or four days. They'll want to check him over thoroughly today, and then monitor him closely over the next few days to ensure that his ordeal today hasn't brought him to any harm. Then it'll be all you. But don't be too anxious; take these few days to wrap your heads around your sudden change in circumstances and make sure you have everything you'll need. Do you have a nursery set up?"

"Yes and no," Brad answered when Kelly stayed silent. "All we were missing was a colour scheme. Now that we have that, it'll be next to no time before I have that ready to go for him."

"Well just be sure you air the room properly once you've painted it. No use getting him home only to have to bring him back when he gets sick from the paint fumes."

Brad nodded. He didn't recognise this nurse and she clearly didn't know who he was, but that was alright; it was never a bad thing to be reminded of the important details.

"Now, do either of you have an idea for a name for him?"

Kelly's step faltered slightly and Brad steadied her. "We were under the impression we'd most likely be adopting a child who already had a name. I mean we've sort of talked about it, but we hadn't definitively decided on anything in particular."

The nurse smiled brightly at her. "That's quite alright Kelly. Take some time with him and discuss with your husband the name that will best fit your little boy. There's no rush. I'm Julie by the way. I don't think I introduced myself earlier."

She nodded and followed Julie into the quiet atmosphere in the NICU, her mind racing with all the possibilities of what she could name this precious gift she'd received so unexpectedly.

A few minutes later, she moved away from the wheeled crib holding her baby with a great deal of reluctance and moved back to stand with Brad, who was leaning against the wall out of everyone's way as the doctor moved forward to begin her examination. He pulled her from beside him to lean back against him and she sank into his warmth with relief, having been surprised by how cold she'd felt from the moment her arms were empty until now.

"What are you thinking beloved heart?"

She tipped her head back and smiled up at him. "I'm thinking that today we have received the greatest blessing imaginable. I'm also thinking that we need a name for our son."

"Both statements are very true. As to the name, I had an idea for a name, just in case we did actually get that honour. But if you hate it, we can start over."

"You're a very wise man, Brad, and I have no doubt I'm going to love the name when you tell me."

Suddenly feeling unaccountably nervous, Brad nodded and took a slow, deep breath in before speaking. "What do you think of naming him Josiah Davis Anderson?"

Kelly rolled the name around in her mind, and stated it out loud a couple of times before turning in her husband's arms and grinning hugely up at him.

"I love it, and I love you too so much. Josiah Davis Anderson is the perfect addition to our little family."

He was leaning in to kiss her when Julie returned to their side. "Sorry to interrupt, but the doctor suggested you go and get some coffee or something to eat, as this examination is going to take longer than normal. I'll grab your details off you before you go and I'll call you as soon as she's done with the exam."

Kelly wanted to protest, but the thought of food and coffee was almost completely overpowering after spending the last several hours in constant motion. She listened as Brad reluctantly gave his pager service number, and hid a grin at Julie's shock over finding out he was a doctor in this hospital, before they both reluctantly left their son behind to find sustenance for what was to come.

New Section

Kelly stepped off the lift several hours later and frowned at the realisation that she was on the wrong floor. Brad had eaten with her before disappearing to find out if his replacement could start sooner than expected so that he could take the time to be with her as they bonded together as a family unit. This had reminded her to call Hotch and let him know what had happened, and though she'd been forced to leave a message, she knew he would return her call when he could. After leaving the message, she had left the cafeteria to find her way back to the NICU, and now she found herself lost.

"You got off one floor too early."

She jumped slightly and turned to see Wilma coming to a stop beside her. "I'm sorry?"

"You wanted the floor above this one; this is paediatrics."

"Oh. Are you still here because we have paperwork to do?"

"Partly. I'm also here because your son was not an only child. I'm waiting for an assessment of when I can take the other children for foster care purposes."

"Josiah has siblings?"

"Josiah?"

"Mm-hm. We're calling him Josiah Davis Anderson."

"A wonderful name that I have no doubt he'll easily live up to. Yes, Josiah has siblings. Two sisters; Nicola is two and Danielle is three. Danielle was pulled out of the backseat of the car with some bruises and was in shock. When they removed the woman from the car, they found the little one curled up in a ball at her mother's feet. Rescue personnel ascertained that she'd crawled there after the accident, and unfortunately she sustained a pretty nasty cut running the length of her arm in the process."

Kelly's mind was running a mile a minute. The news that the girls had lost their parents and were just about to lose their little brother all in one day broke her heart. She also doubted that the sisters would be able to stay together for the rest of their lives; someone somewhere would force them to split up and they'd lose the only family they had left.

Realising that the lift was here and Wilma was getting into it, she leapt in just as the doors closed. The older woman raised her eyebrow.

"That was a bit rash don't you think my dear? You don't have any idea of where I'm going."

"You said the parents are dead, right?" When she nodded, Kelly pressed on after sending up a quick prayer that Brad would forgive her for what she was about to do. "Why do the girls have to go to foster care? You've seen and assessed our home, so you know it is more than big enough to accommodate them as well. We'll already be finishing up the nursery, so we can easily get a second room set up while we are at it. You also know we more than have the means to provide everything they need, both monetarily and emotionally. Neither of us will ever have children and you have the proof of that too. So what is stopping us from adopting Nicola and Danielle also and making this a family of five instead of three?" She stopped talking and held her breath as the lift came to a stop and the doors opened.

"You'd be taking on a lot in a short space of time with practically no time to process what has happened. You also don't know what your husband might have to say about this."

"What's to process? We've always known we would never have children of our own, so adoption was always the discussed option. We've been hungry for children for a few years now and though we knew we would most likely only ever have one child, we dreamed of having more someday in the future. Now you've given us a son and I promise you; words can't adequately express my gratefulness to you. But those two little girls have lost everything today and I would hate for them to lose each other as well when the system splits them up. I am offering them a loving home for the rest of their lives, a home that will keep them together, and while I can call Brad now to confirm that he agrees with my offer, I can also assure you that I know my husbands' mind as well as I know my own and he wouldn't have hesitated to make the same offer if he were the one standing here instead of me."

The lift doors shut, closing them in to an unearthly silence as the older woman regarded the heart and soul of the younger woman and made a decision that she hoped she would never come to regret.

**End**

**A/N: Sorry; I know that was mean to leave it where I did, but the chapter was getting a bit long and there is still much to come. I promise that I'll come straight back to the decision being made in N, and that N won't take more than a couple of weeks to come out, if that.**

**Stay tuned; N is for...**

**Please review with the conveniently placed link right under these words. I love to know what you think and it makes me type faster and update quicker. **


	14. N is for New Hope

**A/N: Somehow, amidst all the craziness of catching up with my mum and my brothers for the first time in months, I managed to get this written. You can thank my mum for that, since when I caught her up on all I'd written since the last time we were together, I left her with the same cliffie you all faced and she told that wasn't allowed. So I made some time and here it is.**

**Reviews are the bread and butter of writers who love what they do. They keep me pressing forward with new and exciting storylines and allow me to express my wildest imaginings in a form that can be shared. In essence, you all make it worth it. My thanks go out to Daisyangel, HGRHfan35, NicknHotchfan, Wtiger5, Hazmatt (L & M) and melodic2686; I love knowing what you guys are thinking and seeing who is close and who isn't and who can actually see where I'm going with things. So feel free to keep the comments coming.**

**Words cannot adequately express my love for my amazing beta and sister, Wtiger5. You make my work so much better for your input and my life so much richer for your involvement in it.**

**Rated K+ and is another study in family moments.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds at all, although they do own me and I do own Carrie, Mirkal and Toby, Chloe and India, Ben, Kelly, Brad and Josiah. **

New Hope

"Kelly," Brad hissed softly as his wife darted out of the room, leaving him watching a little blonde angel crying silently in her sleep while he watched helplessly.

When he'd finally found Kelly in the nursery, sitting in a rocking chair and crying while holding their new son, he had known immediately that these weren't happy tears he was witnessing and his heart had stopped beating as he wondered if Wilma had already broken the promise that Josiah was theirs alone. A quick question had shed light on the whole story, and he had been left reeling with the simple truth that someone somewhere had chosen foster care over adoption into a loving family home for two orphaned little girls, which in his mind was just as bad as his first thought. His suggestion that they come down here to sit with the girls for a while, to offer them silent comfort and support, had been met with a rather watered-down version of his wife's killer smile, but at least it had stopped her crying.

Only now she had darted off somewhere, rather than staying with him like he'd strongly suggested when the nurse pointed the way. He knew they weren't meant to be here; after all, these girls didn't belong to them, but the nursing staff in this ward were constantly bending rules in order to offer comfort to a sick child. However seeing a strange woman, even if she was a doctor's wife, running around was bound to raise suspicion with someone and get them kicked out.

He sighed softly and settled back in the chair as Nicola continued to cry silently. He knew she was crying from the pain of the long, nasty cut on her arm combined with seeing her parents dying, and knowing there was nothing he could do to ease her pain was only making him feel worse.

Looking up at the noise at the door, he sighed again. "Kelly, honey, what are you doing?"

She shot him a look but ignored his question as she turned her body sideways toward the bed and spoke to the child in her arms.

"Do you see there on the bed Danielle? There's Nicola, just like I promised."

Three year old Danielle nodded and whispered softly, "I want Mummy."

"I know you do sweetheart, and if I could, I'd give her back to you. But I can't; all I can do is let you be with Nicola tonight and promise that you can meet Josiah tomorrow."

The child turned her head and looked at him, and Brad hated the broken look in her eyes as she studied him. He thought about standing, but Kelly moved at that moment to the bed and gently laid Danielle down beside her sister. The younger girl immediately wriggled around in her sleep to be closer to her sister's warmth as Kelly slipped off her shoes and climbed in beside them. Then there was another bit of wriggling around to be closer to her womanly comfort as she wrapped her arms around them both.

He watched the girls fall asleep as they took comfort from each other, and from Kelly's soft voice as she sang a favourite lullaby from her childhood. He found that he too was comforted by the sweet soprano Kelly had as he sat and watched over the three of them. He didn't know what the future held, but he vowed that he would find Wilma in the morning and ask her to try again with the bureaucracy that had deemed them unsuitable. Surely all wasn't lost yet?

New Section

Aaron rolled his head around his neck and sighed tiredly. He was exhausted by the events of the day, but happy none the less for JJ and Austin that everything had occurred so seamlessly for both families through the stresses the day had produced.

_Now if only things could run more smoothly for _my _family..._

Pulling out his phone, he checked his watch and winced. He hadn't meant to leave it so long before calling his wife with the results of that day's labour, but with Emily feeling so controlled and out of control at the same time, he had attempted to give her some necessary space. But with it coming up on twelve hours since he'd last spoken to her, he somehow doubted that he would come out of this day unscathed.

He winced again to note the numerous messages and missed calls, most of them from Emily or Carrie, though he spotted a missed call from Kelly. He was tempted to return that call immediately after she had disappeared so abruptly from their celebrations over the safe arrival of Mackenzie and Alexander, but decided that she could wait until morning. For now, the most important thing for him to do was ensure that he was still married.

New Section

Morning dawned inevitably and though Brad was loathe to wake his wife, he knew they needed to return Danielle to her bed before the day staff arrived to work. The woman normally in charge of the ward during the day was incredibly compassionate, yet at the same time an extreme stickler for the rules and policies that governed everyone's every move and reaction; such a breech in policy as what they had committed overnight would have him never hearing the end of it from her. Particularly as they had no claim to either of these beautiful little girls.

A throat cleared softly in the doorway and he turned his head, freezing in his surprise at seeing Wilma standing there. He forced his uncharacteristic feelings of anger aside and slipped from the room, pulling the door closed protectively behind him.

"Is there something I can do for you Wilma?"

She tsked softly at him. "Brad, it wasn't my decision to make. I put Kelly's request through to the powers that be and they made the decision. You had, after all, only requested a baby in your initial application, and had made no indication that this was a flexible request. I could only work with what I had at hand."

"Did you even _try_ to make them understand how sincere our request was?"

She sighed softly. "After such a full and busy day yesterday, I admit that I didn't try very hard to get the message across. At least not at first. Not until I saw Kelly sneaking a scared, grief-stricken little girl into her sister's room and watched the four of you for almost an hour."

Brad felt a soft hope beginning to stir within his retreating anger. "And then?"

"I called the necessary people back, told them what I'd witnessed and stressed that I felt it was in Danielle and Nicola's best interests to not only stay with their little brother, but to stay with his new parents."

Hope screamed at him that this was it. "The results of your call were...?"

Wilma lifted two slim folders in the air. "The top one pertains to the paperwork you had yet to fill in for Josiah and is merely a formality with your names already on the birth certificate. The second folder holds all the paperwork I need you and Kelly to sign in order to make Danielle and Nicola your own forever."

"Am I dreaming?"

"If you are, then so am I and my sleepless night was all for nothing."

Brad thought he just might kiss this woman as his gratitude overwhelmed him and tears started to flow from his eyes; so he did. Then he turned and quietly opened the door behind him to find Kelly sitting up and rubbing her eyes. So he went and kissed her too, before telling her of the amazing conversation he'd just had. Then she was kissing him back, and the girls were awake and were told the good news that they could stay together and that though they wouldn't be getting their parents back, they were gaining a new family who already loved them very much.

New Section

"Emily! This is a pleasant surprise! What're you doing here?"

Emily smiled slightly at JJ and leaned her head against Aaron's hip, which was now beside her. "I'm in for my weekly scan. Aaron and I had a long talk when he finally returned home last night and as a result I get a slight bit more freedom."

"_Within reason,"_ Aaron stressed calmly.

Emily waved her hand slightly. "Anyway, since we were already here, I bargained sleeping for the rest of the day in order to come and visit and admire and maybe cuddle."

"Oh we can definitely do cuddles," Austin said with a warm smile as the door opened and admitted some more early morning visitors.

New Section

"He's so little," Danielle whispered in awe as she sat on Brad's knee beside Nicola. They were both held securely in his arms and if she was really honest with herself, Danielle thought that he smelled even nicer than her daddy always had. She missed her parents fiercely but these people weren't so bad, and the pretty lady with the red hair holding her new baby brother had a really beautiful smile that made her feel safe and loved.

Kelly shifted Josiah so the two girls could see him clearly and smiled at Brad warmly. All she wanted was to go home and celebrate the advent of their new family with her husband, but that desire warred with the thought that if she left, she'd return to find it was all a dream, despite the copies of the completed paperwork now sitting in the bag at her feet.

Brad grinned back at her. "I just had a thought."

"Ooh, scary," Kelly teased, laughter in her eyes.

He poked his tongue out at her as the two girls on his knees looked up at him worriedly. He shot them a reassuring smile. "Kelly is just teasing me ladies. My thoughts aren't at all scary. Now, as I was saying, I had a thought; why don't we go upstairs and introduce you to some of our family. They just had babies themselves and maybe they'll let you see them."

Danielle clearly liked this idea, as she was completely enamoured of the tiny baby that had come into their lives. Nicola, seeing her big sister nod enthusiastically, nodded too and popped her thumb into her mouth. Brad gently pulled her thumb out and blew a raspberry on the back of it, eliciting a giggle from the shy, quiet child.

Kelly also liked this idea, so Brad went to beseech the nursing supervisor for a little more rule breaking, _just this once._

Ten minutes later, Brad had won the right to take Josiah on a walk with the strict instruction to have him back within the next half an hour. So off the five of them trooped to see who might be about for them to meet. Brad carried Nicola, being careful of her bandaged arm. Kelly carried Josiah and held Danielle's hand as the little girl looked about and questioned everything she saw. Kelly let Brad do all the answering as she worked to contain her smile at least a little bit lest anyone think she was on anything other than extreme happiness.

Reaching the ward when they did, they were instantly made aware that JJ and Austin had visitors. Brad raised an eyebrow at the nurse at the station, who grinned back.

"They aren't too bad," she said as the laughter they'd heard died down and you could clearly hear soft shushing noises going on. "Having ordered them to keep the noise down, the aftermath of a particularly loud moment is very entertaining. And it isn't as if we have anyone else in at the moment. This is the quietest I've seen this ward in a _very_ long time."

"Good point. We're off to add to the noise."

"I dread the coming excitement," she said as she poked her tongue out at him. He returned the gesture and they continued on down the hall.

"Exactly how old are you?" Kelly demanded in an amused tone of voice. Brad just grinned at her and poked his head around the corner of the door.

"Room for any more sardines here, or are you a packed tin already?"

Kelly smacked his arm as she passed him with Danielle following close behind, noticing as she did that the entire team and their families were present. "Ignore my husband; he thinks he's a comedian today."

Everyone fell silent as they watched the five walk in. Danielle hesitated a moment, but her natural curiosity about everything compelled her to walk right up to where Derek sat as he held a sleeping Ben.

"Did some drop a tin of brown paint on you? Is that why you look different to everyone else?"

"We can add sheltered lifestyle to what little we know about their upbringing," Brad leaned over to murmur in Kelly's ear as everyone hid their amusement and waited for someone to answer the child's question. Kelly nodded and moved forward to crouch down beside her eldest child.

"Danielle, everyone is different. Do you see how our hair is different colours?"

"Mine is yellow and yours is red."

"That's right. In the same way, our eyes are different colours and even our skin is a little different. Well, Derek's skin is different to ours, because everyone is different. Do you understand?"

Danielle frowned slightly and nodded. "I think so." Kelly lifted a hand and gently smoothed her hair back from her face. "So can I see the other babies now?"

She smiled gently and stood up. "In a minute sweetheart. First I'll introduce you to everyone." She looked up to find all eyes were watching her with interest and found that for the first time in a very long time, she had no words to describe what had happened to them in the last 24 hours. Brad saw that and gently pulled her back to his side.

"You may or may not have noticed that we disappeared quite abruptly last night."

"We noticed," Austin said gently. "We've also noticed over the last few months in particular your happiness for us has been mingled with your sadness that _family_ wasn't happening for you. We've been trying really hard not to rub your noses in it, but it's kind of hard to do, so we understood when you both left last night. It can't have been easy for either of you during the day, and both JJ and I are incredibly grateful for your presence and support as yesterday unfolded." JJ nodded her agreement as all eyes went back to the Andersons.

Kelly smiled sadly. "And here I was thinking I was hiding my feelings really well."

Emily grinned. "Kel, honey, how many people do you see in this room who aren't profilers of one sort or another?"

Brad snorted softly and tugged his wife in closer to his side. "As I was saying, we did have an incredibly good reason to disappear. Danielle is almost four, our paint-tin daughter. Nicola is our shy two-year-old, and Josiah is our newborn son."

For several long seconds, no one moved or spoke and Kelly leaned in to Brad and murmured, "Decided against gently leading in to it huh?"

There was a sudden explosion of noise as everyone started speaking at once. Josiah started awake and began to cry, as did Alexander and Mackenzie. Nicola let out a frightened squeak and buried her face in Brad's shoulder. Danielle jumped back in surprise and scurried around behind Kelly's legs. Aaron spotted the children's reactions first and held up his hands to signal quiet. Kelly's soft voice cut through the dying noise as she sang to the baby in her arms and as he quieted, so too did the other newborns. Once there was complete quiet again, Brad continued with the narrative, explaining what had occurred in between leaving the room and their return to it.

"Our adoption agent contacted us with the news that there was a baby in need of adoption and that we were it. Then we found out that Josiah had siblings and we petitioned to adopt them also. We were knocked back initially, but this morning that decision was reversed and we have the completed paperwork to prove that we are now a family of five and not just a couple."

"So what happened to the parents?" Dave asked gently.

"Head on collision with a drunk driving a truck."

Another silence descended, and then JJ smiled down at Danielle. "Danielle, why don't you come over here. You can meet my son Henry, who is about your age and really likes making new friends and then you can meet his little brother Alexander."

For the first time, Danielle peered out around Kelly's legs and looked up at her for approval and support. Kelly smiled encouragingly down at the child and gestured out at the room.

"Go on sweetheart. You'll like Henry; he's really very friendly."

Kelly watched as first Danielle met Henry and started to bond in friendship immediately, and then surprisingly Nicola was drawn out by Austin and her desire to see another baby other than her brother. Then Teresa swept in demanding to meet the smallest Anderson and suddenly the only arms in contact with hers were Brad's as they watched their families integrate with each other and accepted the congratulations of their friends.

"Happy beloved heart?"

Kelly tipped her head back and smiled. "I don't think I could possibly be happier today. You?"

Brad just smiled at her in that quiet, confident way he had that spoke volumes to her and she returned it in kind as she turned in his arms and sealed their new future with a kiss.

**End**

**A/N: Okay, so I freely admit that the intention was always to give Kelly and Brad three children, and not just one. So I really hope you like how I played that out.**

**Stay tuned; O is for...**

**Please review with the conveniently placed link right under these words. I love to know what you think and it makes me type faster and update quicker. **


	15. O is for Of Time and the Heart's Journey

**A/N: I know, I know...my intervals between chapter updates are getting worse. I can only apologise and say that I am doing my best to curb my instinct for reading enough to actually write something that is worth reading. Hopefully soon I'll start winning that battle and I can get back to more regular updates, especially now that I have a clearer direction about where things are going.**

**I don't deserve to have any of you following me considering my deplorable updating habits as of late, but I am truly humbled and grateful that you are all still on board with me. Your words keep me inspired and keep me pushing through my writing lethargy. Thanks to Wtiger5, Hazmatt, HGRHfan35 and Daisyangel for taking the time to post a review on this chapter. I really do appreciate every one of you.**

**Words cannot adequately express my love for my amazing beta and sister, Wtiger5. You make my work so much better for your input and my life so much richer for your involvement in it.**

**Rated K+ and is another study in sweet moments though I warn you that this is a short piece ahead of several potentially lengthy chapters..**

**Please note: the reference to the movie and song in this chapter are from a 1998 Warner Bros. Animation film titled The Magic Sword: Quest for Camelot. I know it's old, but I thought it was appropriate considering Carrie mostly watches movies with Toby and Jack. Please also accept my apology about the spacing in the song; I couldn't get the gaps to go away upon posting.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds at all, although they do own me and I do own Carrie, Mirkal and Toby, Chloe and India, Ben, Kelly, Brad and Josiah. **

Of Time and the Heart's Journey

The silence was punctuated both by the soft rustles made as clothing settled to stillness and by the whispers of children asking what was happening now. But as the lights dimmed to a single spotlight in the centre of the floor where they stood everything else faded away, leaving Carrie staring into Mirkal's eyes as they waited for their bridal waltz to begin.

The day had been perfect, the weather for autumn just stunning as if trying to provide them with the most amazing photos possible. Everything about the day had happened on time and without a glitch, leaving Carrie to focus on the task at hand; that is, ensuring Mirkal was hers by the end of the day. They had opted for a small wedding which hadn't been that difficult to accomplish considering that neither of them had any family to speak of. But despite the length of the guest list being less than fifty, they had still opted for everything a larger wedding would boast.

After a long morning of being pampered and bathed, Carrie had slipped into the wedding dress of her dreams. The bodice of the gown sat snugly against her skin before the skirt fell to the floor in layers of silk and though the plain white could have been left bare as it was, Carrie had opted for a single lace overlay patterned in roses to cover her from the neck down to the base of the gown, with long sleeves in deference to the slight chill in the breeze around this time of the year. Her hair was pulled up in an elegant chignon and a tiara of delicate roses held a lace veil in place over her face and trailing down her back.

They had opted for only two in each of their parties. Mirkal had chosen Kevin and Reid to stand with him, and the only reason he hadn't asked Aaron was because Carrie had asked him if he'd honour her by walking her down the aisle and he had accepted. Then she'd asked Emily and Jordan to stand with her and though Emily had joked that it would be more a case of her sitting than standing, she had accepted with delight, as had Jordan, who had grown particularly close to Carrie over the last couple of months as they shared the task of keeping an eye on Emily's health while their partners worked.

Yet despite her physical limitations, Emily had slept most of the three days before the wedding, storing her energy for the day and had found she had enough energy to not only walk down the aisle on Reid's arm as Matron of Honour and Best Man, but to stand through the short, intimate ceremony bonding Mirkal and Carrie to each other as man and wife. After running through a shower of rice of all different colours (she found out later that this has been Toby's idea), they were off for photos in their favourite gardens. Surrounded by trees in a stunning array of reds, oranges, yellows and browns, the photos she had been shown at the end of the hour were amazing; her favourite photo by a mile was the image taken after Mirkal had picked her up in his arms and spun her around. The wind had at that very moment decided to pick up some of the leaves on the ground surrounding them and swirl it around their bodies as they'd laughed their joy of life. The photo was the only un-posed image taken that everyone voted to have shown on the back wall of the small reception hall hired for the buffet they had to end the day.

And now the meal and the speeches were over, and everyone was ready to celebrate on the dance floor. But first it was their turn.

As the music started, the spotlight faded completely, which totally confused her as it became too dark to see anything of Mirkal except what she remembered of the tenderness of his smile right before the light disappeared. The look she'd seen there as he looked into her eyes had her fighting emotional tears as she realised she could almost _feel_ his love surrounding her as his arms did just that.

They had chosen the song together out of their mutual love of Toby's favourite movie, Quest for Camelot. They liked the symbolism behind the words because neither of them had set out to fall in love; it had just happened.

Look at the sky tell me what do you see

Just close your eyes and describe it to me

As the opening line started and slipped into the second line, Carrie felt confusion when Mirkal held her still in his arms. Then the third line played and lights twinkled into view on the ceiling, attached to a net she hadn't even noticed through the evening. She gasped her delight as she looked about, but quickly turned her eyes back to her husband as he started moving them to the words of the song. Unable to help herself, she started singing softly in time to the words of the song, feeling her heart swell with the intense emotion and love she felt for the man holding her as he joined her in harmony.

The heavens are sparkling with starlight tonight

That's what I see through your eyes

I see the heavens each time that you smile

I hear your heartbeat just go on for miles

And suddenly I know why life is worthwhile

That's what I see through your eyes

That's what I see through your eyes

Here in the night, I see the sun

Here in the dark, our two hearts are one

Its out of our hands, we can't stop what we have begun

And love just took me by surprise, looking through your eyes

I see a night I wish could last forever

I see a world we're meant to see together

And it is so much more than I remember

More than I remember

More than I have known

Here in the night, I see the sun

Here in the dark, our two hearts are one

Its out of our hands, we can't stop what we have begun

And love just took me by surprise, looking through your eyes

Looking through your eyes

As the song ended, another started up and other dancers moved onto the floor around them and though she knew they needed to separate so that others could dance with them as tradition demanded, she found she was loathe to move away.

Mirkal's smile was confidence itself as he leaned in and whispered in her ear, "We'll be back together before you know it. I love you too much to let you go for long tonight."

She smiled softly and cupped his face in her hands, confident that he would hold her steady as she leaned back slightly in his arms and traced his features with her eyes. "And I love you so much more than I ever thought was possible. Considering how we started and how life treated us in the interim before we found each other again, I would say we are very, _very_ blessed."

His smile heated her blood and set her heart to racing for the sheer joy of the happiness she could see he was feeling. "I know now what a mistake it was to let you get away back then when we first met, but I hope I have proven my determination to never let you go again and that through my actions, I am worthy of your trust?"

"You have, and more than I could have ever hoped for. I now believe completely that the future of our journey together, now that our hearts are one, can be _everything_ we want it to be and more. It's taken time, but that time was worth it to come to this moment."

"I couldn't agree more my love."

Leaning in, he sealed their souls with a kiss and again the world faded away around them as they settled in to a new future full of the love they held for each other.

**End**

**A/N: I know, it had nothing to do with babies or children, but I really wanted to just focus on Carrie and Mirkal for this one. Coming up soon though, we still have one heavily pregnant mamma to add to her family and I will warn you in advance; despite promises made to keep this story mostly drama free, little Hotchners have a way of making dramatic entrances. Though I do promise that Emily will be fine this time, and no; I will not expand on this warning. You'll just have to stick with me and see for yourself when the time comes. And don't forget Teresa is still due shortly. So there's lots more labour-filled-fun to be had. But first...**

**Stay tuned; P is for...**

**Please review with the conveniently placed link right under these words. I love to know what you think and it makes me type faster and update quicker. **


	16. P is for Pitter Patter

**A/N: Hey, I'm back! I'm slowly getting used to sharing my reading and writing time, so hopefully I should have the next chapter to you a touch quicker than this one, so on and so forth as the alphabet winds to a close. And for this chapter, remember that you love your drama queen because she always gives you a happy ending.**

**You guys are the reason I keep pushing forward with this mad journey I placed myself on and I truly appreciate the constant encouragement that lets me know I must be getting something right. Thanks to Daisyangel (I'm afraid you'll have to wait a little bit longer), HGRHfan35 (not quite, but that is coming soon), lizard84 (thanks so much), Wtiger5 (I hope you're still saying that about editing my chappies in the chappies to come) and Hazmatt (thank you for your kind words). I shall hold on to your nice words because you may not like me in chappies to come.**

**Darling beta, gorgeous sister, beautiful Wtiger5; I totally could not do this without your input, feedback and information. All I ask is that you please don't disown me now that you know where I am going in the next few chapters.**

**Rated T because several somebody's are in trouble.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds at all, although they do own me and I do own Carrie, Mirkal and Toby, Chloe and India, Ben, Kelly, Brad, Josiah, Nicola and Danielle. **

Pitter Patter

Dave stepped back from his wife and eyed her closely, not sure what to make of her expression coupled with the words coming from her mouth just a few seconds ago. Her doctor had informed him that these last four weeks of pregnancy could be particularly tough with her moods swinging like a pendulum, but he hadn't said anything about it being this bad.

"You don't mean that," he stated flatly.

"I mean every word I say _David_, and throwing accusations won't help your situation. Now, I'm going to Emily's for the day and you aren't invited. In fact, you are going to drop me off there and then you are going to get lost not only for the day, but the night as well. I don't care what you do or where you go, but I don't want to see you until lunch time tomorrow. Am I making myself clear?"

"Like crystal," he said tautly. "May I have half an hour to pack something and come up with a plan?"

"You have fifteen minutes."

New Section

Teresa watched the two cars drive off and sighed with relief as she gently rubbed her fingers over the pattern of bumps across her abdomen that were slowing daily as her child became too big to move around comfortably in her womb. She had been moments short of exploding as she stood in the door and listened to Aaron try to get out of the outing. Then Carrie walked down the stairs and told Aaron that the rest of the ladies were on their way and his presence was not required. He'd jogged up the stairs and a few minutes later came down with a bag and a heavy tread. Knowing full well that her friend was in the same boat and suffering as she was, she'd felt absolutely no sympathy for Aaron's saddened expression.

Half an hour later, the rest of the ladies had arrived, the men were gone and for the first time that morning, Teresa breathed a sigh of relief.

"Come on in honey, everyone's in the living room now."

She turned out of the doorframe and hugged Carrie. "I expect all things to be light and fluffy today, so that means you get to tell me all about your honeymoon."

Carrie smiled. "I've been waiting til we were all together to share so that isn't a problem. But first you have to exorcise whatever demon had you looking like you would be quite happy to slice Dave up into little pieces."

"I don't want to talk about it," Teresa said quickly.

Carrie tsked softly. "That won't wash with me, nor will it wash with Emily and since I think you both need to do some exorcising, you can do it together. _Then_ I will tell you about my honeymoon, and not before."

Teresa's shoulders drooped and she nodded tiredly as she moved into the living room to be embraced warmly for several long minutes by Austin, and somehow she felt her tension easing as it always did in the light of the bubbly sweetness the younger woman always radiated. Pulling back from the hug, she noticed someone else and grinned happily.

"Lydia, hi."

"Hi Teresa. Emily invited me to morning tea this morning, then called and said just come for the day after everyone else was invited. Cameron's away at the moment so she thought I could use the adult companionship. I wasn't arguing since she was right. I hope it was alright to crash this day?"

"Of course it was; after all, I'm the one crashing the party so to speak."

"Don't worry about it," Emily said as she shifted the body pillow under her to a more comfortable position. "You sounded like you were desperate and I remembered that I'd issued an open invitation back in the early stages of things in cases where Dave turned into a brute, so it is all good."

"If you're both sure," Teresa stated doubtfully.

Emily nodded firmly and Lydia looked up from the baby she was nursing. "I have no problem with it. After the great escape, I liked Cameron's constant hovering because it made me feel safe. About a month before I was due to deliver, Emily was my mainstay, because this place was the only place Cameron would allow me to be on my own without him for any great length of time. So I don't mind sharing that comfort with you now."

Teresa murmured her thanks and eyed the baby. "I think I must have missed every catch up since you had him. Remind me of his name and age again?"

Lydia smiled softly at the baby in her arms. "His name is Rhys Andrew Scott and he is now two and a half months old and the joy of his mother's life. I adore all my children, don't get me wrong, but there's just something special about babies."

Everyone nodded agreement as Teresa settled deeper into her corner of the couch and went back to looking miserable as silence fell again. Carrie eyed the two pregnant women and wondered if the rest of them were safe considering their combined moods were incredibly negative.

"Right, who wants to hear about my honeymoon?" All hands went up and she nodded decisively. "Who thinks we should make Emily and Teresa talk about it, whatever _it_ is, first?" Again all hands went up, and were coupled with a lot of sage nods. "Right then; who's going first?"

Emily and Teresa pointed at each other and everyone laughed. Teresa sighed heavily and settled back in the couch. "I suppose I should go first since I'm the one who crashed your day."

"You don't _have_ to go first," Emily stated, though she didn't sound too sure about her offer.

Teresa's smile was dry. "Maybe I'll feel a little better for the telling of my woes."

"Would you also feel better if you fed Josiah while you talked?" Kelly offered with a smile as she gently jiggled her whiney son.

Teresa thought for a moment before nodding slowly. Kelly grinned and stood, grabbed the bottle she'd just made up and walked across the room. After completing the handover, she walked back to her seat and curled up in it as Teresa looked down at the three week old baby in her arms.

"Do you know, in a few short weeks this will be my child lying here in my arms instead of yours. And where I'm at in my head is nowhere near ready because I am so resentful of my unborn child and what he or she has done to my husband."

Everyone stared at her in a state of shock and Josiah fussed slightly as tears started to fall on him. This only made Teresa cry harder and Josiah quickly spat out the teat on the bottle and started screaming. Kelly swooped in and rescued her son, moving away from the couch as she soothed him and got him feeding again. Austin slipped in to place beside Teresa and wrapped her up in a tight hug as silent tears turned to sobs. Kelly started singing a lullaby that was a favourite of all three of her children and as Josiah began falling asleep, Teresa's sobs eased.

Kelly slipped from the room to put Josiah in his portable crib up in the nursery where all the babies were to sleep that day, careful not to wake those already present. When she returned to the living room with the monitor in hand, order had been restored and Teresa was returning from washing her face.

"Sorry everyone, I didn't mean to break down like that."

"Don't apologise; clearly you needed it," Lydia stated gently.

"Why don't you tell us why you kicked Dave out so forcefully this morning," Carrie suggested as she passed a box of chocolates around.

Teresa shrugged tiredly. "Dave is having a son. End of discussion."

"Has the doctor confirmed that?" Austin asked.

"No, he hasn't, and that is what is pissing me off so much. The baby is never in a good position to tell the sex, or even to get a clear look at. All our pictures are slightly out of focus or blurry regardless of which machine is used and..."

"...and that sounds exactly like what happened with the girls and we all know how _that_ story ended."

Everyone laughed at Emily's tongue-in-cheek comment and even Teresa smiled slightly, though the sad tinge to it took all the joy out of the action. "Well apparently Dave is psychic, because I am giving him an heir, a son to be proud of."

Emily snorted. "Right, so it is the Italian pride in him that won't let him wrap his head around the fact that he might just be blessed only with daughters for his sins?"

Everyone laughed, but Teresa just stared straight ahead out the window.

"There's more, isn't there?" Kelly asked gently when the noise died down.

She nodded. "I woke this morning and was pretty certain Dave hadn't come to bed because the spot beside me was un-mussed and cold. Then Dave comes in when I get out of the bathroom and says he has a surprise for me. He takes me down to the nursery, opens the door, and all I can see everywhere I look is blue paint. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. He said he'd wanted it to be a surprise for me because he knows how tired I've been lately. I asked him what would happen if I had a girl and he actually looked surprised as he stated there hadn't been a girl born in the Rossi line in over six generations and he wasn't intending to be the one to break the tradition. I pointed out that he had no say in the matter, he stated that the situation is what it is and the facts are that the Rossi family has always had sons. At that point I got so mad I told him that I was now praying for a daughter just to spite him, because I was through pretending that his distinct narrow-mindedness in this matter wasn't killing me slowly. I then told him he'd be lucky if I ever wanted to see him again."

"What did he do?" Austin asked as she gently ran her hand through Teresa's hair.

"He took a step back and flatly stated that I didn't mean that. I told him I did, set out the terms for today, tonight and tomorrow and endured a chilly silence until he drove off."

"Honey, that's awful," Jordan gushed sympathetically. "No wonder you looked so miserable when I first saw you earlier today. And I can even understand not being ready to meet the baby because of how Dave is treating you. Have you tried explaining to him that you'll love the baby regardless of whether you have a boy or a girl and that all you want is for him to acknowledge that he'll do the same when the time comes?"

"Numerous times. He just gets this smug look on his face and the conversation dissolves into the same argument. I've given up on that one. Hopefully today will be the eye-opener I need it to be that he is in the wrong and something changes. If nothing changes, well, I don't want to be ex number four, but that is the direction I am afraid this is going."

Silence fell as they all contemplated her words. After a few minutes, Carrie looked pointedly at Emily, who groaned softly. "I was kind of hoping to be forgotten." When Carrie's only reaction was to raise an eyebrow at her, she grimaced. "Basically put, Aaron is getting more protective the further along I get and his version of protective feels a lot like I'm being smothered to death slowly. I'm actually reaching the point where I'm sick of him and worse, sick of looking at him. Just the sound of his voice has been making me feel ill in the last two days. I don't want this to wreck us, but he is beyond listening to me and he isn't listening to Renaldi either." When everyone looked at her blankly, she explained, "He's Aaron's psychologist, from when he had his breakdown. He still sees him at least once a month, and sometimes more than once if a case is getting to him. Anyway, Carrie says she has things under control here, but that doesn't stop him from calling every hour, on the hour, to see how I am. That he hasn't called yet means that he took me seriously when I threatened him this morning."

JJ's shock was mirrored by all of them. "You didn't," she stated breathlessly.

"Oh, I did," she said flatly. "I told him if I saw him or heard his voice before tomorrow, or if he called Carrie and any of the rest of you girls for anything short of the fact that something so drastic has happened that they are going to hospital, that I would leave and not come back until after the babies were born. I also told him that when he comes home tomorrow, he will be sleeping in one of the other rooms again until they're born. The other stipulation is that the hovering and the constant calling _has_ to stop. We have a good dozen numbers to call to let him know of any changes in my day or of when I actually start labour. Carrie and Jordan are doing a marvellous job of looking after me while he is at work and his constant calling is also annoying them and undermining their ability to assess what is important. So I laid it out like that and after explaining yet _again_ the reasons why I hit this point, he gave me the saddest look imaginable and left me to wallow in my guilt over hurting him."

"Wow."

"Yeah," she whispered sadly.

Carrie shook off her shock and sent silent thanks to whoever was listening for giving her such a modern, loving and supportive husband. Then she stood up. "Right, I am making smoothies, so everyone except Teresa and Emily gets to go in to the kitchen to figure out what they want. Teresa, put your feet up and settle in to being pampered today. And just because the smoothies are so healthy, I will be breaking out some more of the chocolate as well."

Several hours later, everyone had been fed lunch and was back in the living room. Ben, Chloe, India and Gwendolyn were all still up having also just been fed, while Josiah, Alexander and Mackenzie slept on with different feeding schedules. They had been placed on a large mat in the centre of the living room with a box of soft toys to play with while the adults continued talking around them. Ben was clearly content with some padded building blocks in one corner, Gwendolyn lay on her back under a colourful contraption that made different noises when she touched different hanging objects, causing her to giggle outrageously every now and again and Chloe and India had some toy telephones that they appeared to know how to use as they babbled happily at each other. The older children ran around the backyard area accessed by the sliding doors to one side of the large room, and Rhys was cuddling contentedly with Carrie.

"Are you excited for their first birthdays?" Kelly asked Emily in amusement as she watched the girls and their animated 'conversation'.

Emily rolled her eyes. "I doubt we'll be celebrating their first birthday on the actual day. I'm all but confined to bed most of the time and I rarely manage to stay awake for very long. I think today is a rebellion because of everything happening and won't last and I refuse to miss their special day. So we'll do something like a special dinner for this family and then once I've had their younger siblings, we'll have more of a party."

"That makes sense to me," Jordan said before sighing. When everyone looked at her she flushed slightly. "Sorry. I'm just watching Ben wriggle around on his butt or crawl to reach the pieces I deliberately scattered. The doctor said it isn't that uncommon for children to take a little time to learn how to crawl, but every baby in the mothers group I went to after his birth is already up and running around and he will only walk if either Derek or I are holding on to him. I just don't understand it because there isn't anything physically wrong with him either."

"He's what, sixteen months old now?" Emily queried.

"Seventeen. I know I shouldn't be so impatient, and I know once he's mobile I'll regret today's gripe, but for now I just want him to be able to properly interact with other toddlers his age. At the moment, kids play with him just fine and he contentedly plays right along with them, but the moment any of them start running and they go off somewhere else, he's stuck back where he was because he can only crawl."

"So he's not inspired by other kids to try it himself?"

"Oh, he tries all the time, don't get me wrong, but he'll only get a step or two, lose his balance and fall over. Then he just cries until he's blue in the face because he knows he missing out and it's just heartbreaking." Ben looked up and around at her at that moment and shot her a cheeky grin that had Derek written all over it and she grinned back as her heart swelled with love for her child. "Oh, and did I tell you Derek and I are talking about having another baby?"

After the negative chorus died down, she pulled a funny face at Ben, causing him to fall sideways as he laughed and continued. "We're just talking at this stage, with a healthy dose of practice thrown in there. We both want more kids, but we aren't so sure about the timing. We're trying to figure out what a good age gap is before we go ahead with anything."

"Well I can safely tell you just more than a year is not a good idea," JJ stated tongue-in-cheek, causing much laughter as Emily poked her tongue out at her.

"If you got pregnant now, Ben would be about two-and-a-half years old when he or she arrived. That doesn't sound too bad," Penelope suggested as she tickled her daughter's stomach and took a sip of her drink.

"That depends though," JJ said quickly. "Do you think Ben is going to struggle with the terrible twos?"

Jordan shook her head slowly. "I don't think he will. I mean, we set boundaries right from the point where we could see he was beginning to think and understand and we both discipline him and follow through, and we're having to do so less the more he understands that breaking a rule makes us sad. He doesn't like sad people."

"Then pick a night, let your man romance you and see where it goes," Penelope said excitedly.

India and Chloe joined in on the giggles this time, looking to Emily to make sure she'd seen them. She blew them kisses and India giggled again as Chloe used her sister's shoulder to rock up onto her knees. Carrie quickly handed Rhys back to Lydia and silently dove for the camera out of sight as Emily pulled out her phone and everyone held their breaths.

"Have either of them walked yet," Teresa whispered without moving.

"Not yet, not without holding on to anyone anyway," she whispered back.

A burst of laughter from the children out back distracted Chloe and Emily shifted forward on the couch with a bit of difficulty as she placed her feet on the ground.

"Chloe, baby, come to Mummy. Come on baby girl, come to Mummy."

Chloe looked back at her and shot another grin her way as she got one foot under her and then the other by holding on to her sister. The anticipation in the room grew as she took a wobbly step away from her sister, and then another as she let go. Emily's camera captured each faltering step as she continued to call and encourage her daughter forward, until Chloe reached out a little hand and with a big squeal grabbed Emily's free hand. Much cheering ensued from everyone as Emily scooped her up onto her knee and hugged her, telling her how proud she was as Teresa rescued the phone and continued with the filming. Carrie caught her attention and she quickly shifted the direction she was pointing the phone as India launched her padded tush into the air and slowly straightened with a happy little burble. She was clearly more confidant now that she'd seen her sister do it, because it took her half the time already taken and a lot less wobbling to make it across the room. The cheering started all over again as Emily ended up with her arms full of wriggling, happy babies as she bestowed kisses and smiles on both of the girls.

Ben watched all of the excitement with an intensity that made Jordan silently start hoping that her son would be encouraged to give it a go. As he made his wobbly stand, Jordan held her breath, too intent on the look on his face to even pull out her phone and record it so she could show Derek later.

She slipped carefully to the floor and held out her arms. "Ben, I know you can do this and while Daddy won't be impressed with your timing, he will forgive you because he loves you and this is exciting stuff."

"Daddy!" Ben shouted, clapping his hands excitedly and looking about eagerly.

Jordan winced internally. Ben adored his father and always got unhappy if he was gone too long or if it was pointed out that his father wasn't there. She watched the smile slip into a frown.

"Daddy?"

Struck by sudden inspiration, Jordan pulled out her phone and dialled quickly, hoping like mad that her husband wasn't somewhere inaccessible.

Seconds later he picked up the call and she breathed out in soft relief. "Hey babe, called to rescue me from my exile?"

She snorted softly. "You aren't exiled, Dave and Aaron are. You're just keeping the exiles company to keep them from doing something stupid like returning early or calling inappropriately to the rules their wives laid down for them. But that is beside the point. Someone was missing you and wanted to say hello. Turn on the video feed." She waited while he enabled it from his end and accepted it when the request came through. Seeing that Ben was still standing and looking around with an increasingly forlorn expression on his tiny face, she quickly turned the phone around. "Ben, come say hi to Daddy. Walk to Daddy."

Derek had always been a smart man and now he caught on quickly. "Hey Ben-baby, can you walk to Mummy so you can say hello to Daddy?"

Ben shrieked with delight. "Daddy!" His steps were even wobblier than Chloe's, but he walked the two metres from his spot on the floor to where she knelt and she quickly handed the phone to Austin as she scooped him up off his legs and spun him around to much cheering and clapping from those watching. When she'd made them both dizzy, she dropped back onto the couch and rescued the phone and let Derek praise his son for his newfound skill.

Five minutes later, Ben was snuggled up against her as she said goodbye and ended the call and as she put the phone down, he yawned hugely and popped his fist on her chest.

"Well that was an exciting bit of excitement," Carrie said to some soft laughter. "I think we're now ready to hear about my honeymoon."

"After a loo break," Emily said firmly, and Carrie immediately moved to her side to assist her to stand.

"That sounds like a plan. I'm not feeling very well right now, so maybe give me a few minutes," Teresa added as she stood slowly.

"Do you want an assist to the bathroom?" Kelly asked as she quickly stood and moved to her side.

"Please. Luckily there're two bathrooms down here. I'll take the smaller one."

Emily poked her tongue out at her friend as the four women made their way slowly out of the room. JJ and Penelope exchanged amused looks as Lydia, Austin and Jordan started a conversation about sleep patterns for babies and what Austin should expect over the next few months.

Minutes later they heard raised voices down the hall and after exchanging worried looks they went to investigate to find Carrie on the phone calling for an ambulance as she supported Emily's full weight against her. Rushing to help, JJ propped her up on the other side and guessed, "It's time?"

Emily nodded tightly and they started a slow walk down the hall as Carrie detailed to the person at the other end of her call what had happened the last time twins were involved, trying to convey a sense of urgency to an unknown person who wanted her to calm down.

**End**

**A/N: Yes, I know; I suck for leaving it where I did. But this chapter was getting too long for what is coming. Just please don't kill me, I'll come back to this as soon as I can. **

**Stay tuned; Q is for...**

**Please review with the conveniently placed link right under these words. I love to know what you think and it makes me type faster and update quicker. **


	17. Q is for Quail Hunting

**A/N: Okay, this is the male companion piece to Pitter Patter, and I hope you like it, because it will be a great deal shorter than P was. We'll be coming back to the drama I left it at soon enough.**

**You are all so treasured in my eyes because even when I suck at getting out decently timed postings you all still review, which just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Thanks to Wtiger5 (I hope it kept you adequately entertained while you waited), NicknHotchfan (considering Emily is ridden with hormones, a fight was unavoidable but it isn't all bad to come), HGRHfan35 (I love that your reviews are so expressive and always make me smile...Macho Man is very appropriate for Dave, so thanks for the imagery) and Hazmatt (I love that you catch my subtleties and comment on them...hope you like what is to come) for taking the time to post a review on this chapter. I really do appreciate every one of you.**

**Wtiger5...I totally don't deserve you, especially after my promise of a drama free story being broken multiple times and the knowledge you have of what is to come. I am fully grateful for your continued support and knowledge as I push forward with this. Love you lots.**

**Rated T just to be on the safe side.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds at all, although they do own me and I do own Carrie, Mirkal and Toby, Chloe and India, Ben, Kelly, Brad, Josiah, Nicola and Danielle. **

Quail Hunting

"Come on old man, tell us the truth. Why are we _really_ out here in the middle of nowhere?"

Dave raised an eyebrow at the semi-circle of men facing him. "Can't I just want a day out with my friends to go hunting?"

"No," most of them chorused.

"I'd much rather be home with Austin and Mackenzie," Reid muttered.

Dave sighed. "Reid, if you had said no to my badgering about going hunting with me, you still would have been left without Austin and Mackenzie for company."

Reid looked confused and Derek nodded slowly. "That makes sense. Jordan told me in no uncertain terms that I was on my own for the day. Sounds like the ladies decided to get together today without the males being present. This is fine, but Rossi, it still doesn't explain why you instigated this trip. You've never asked us out hunting before."

Dave sighed heavily. "My wife threatened me alright? I'm not telling you exactly what she said, though if you want to ask your wives later you may, but for now suffice it to say I am better off out here."

Aaron nodded sympathetically. "I think Emily is ready to divorce me. I am, and I quote, 'An overprotective bully of a husband' unquote."

"That's tough man," Derek murmured in sympathy as everyone else winced.

"Thanks. I don't know Dave's story, but Em called me that and told me if she saw or heard from me today _at all_ for anything less than someone dying, she would find somewhere else to live until after the twins were born. It only took me a few seconds to see she was serious. I admit that maybe I've been going a bit overboard about making sure everything is happening safely this time around, but I also think I've been under-exaggerating how her pregnancy is making me feel in relation to my breakdown. But that's not her fault so I'll do my best to take this setback like a man and then I'll do my best to make myself as vulnerable to her as possible and hope that she can understand why I've been such an idiot lately. Then we'll see if we can come to a compromise we can both live with."

Dave groaned. "Why'd you have to go and share for Aaron? Now I feel like I need to."

Aaron grinned. "Isn't confession good for the soul?" The flat look he received made him chuckle. "So don't tell us what Teresa said, just tell us what you did that brought her to the point she kicked you out for the night."

Dave looked around at all of them, and seeing the expectation there, his shoulders slumped and he nodded. "Fine. I painted the nursery blue as a surprise for her last night."

They all frowned at each other. "I didn't think you knew the sex of your baby," Brad admitted slowly.

Dave looked around in defeat and moved to sit on a thick tree trunk that had obviously come down sometime recently, having not been overgrown in any way.

"We don't know. But I've been so set on the fact that no Rossi in recent history has ever had a girl that I had convinced myself that she was having a boy, full stop, end of discussion. It wasn't until the sick, angry look on her face registered this morning as she looked at the nursery we had decided to wait to paint until _we_ _knew_ what we were having that I finally opened my eyes to see her longing for a child I would love regardless of tradition or sex. But before I could point out my sudden self-revelation of what an ass I've been, she kicked me out. And now I'm not sure we aren't past a point I can't redeem myself from. I wouldn't blame her at all if I returned home tomorrow to find the locks had been changed and she's tossed all my things out an upstairs window."

"Teresa doesn't have that kind of temperament," Will said firmly. "She'll be hurtin' madly for sure, but the girls will no doubt draw the poison of that pain out of her for the babe's sake, and that will leave her with a head that is clearer and a heart that will hopefully let her hear the apology you are ready to make when you return."

"You think so?" Dave asked hopefully, and all the men nodded slowly as they thought.

"Don't you like the idea of a little Teresa running around?" Reid asked, still a little confused by the feelings in the air.

"Of course I do, but we've always had sons..."

"In the past you've always had sons; doesn't mean the future can't take a completely different path."

Dave frowned up at Reid. "Let's change the subject...you're making me feel old right now."

Laughing, Aaron offered him a hand up as they collected their weapons and bags and started walking. Dave had explained that the theory was that you walked a round trail that took about 3 hours to complete. Then you stopped for lunch before walking the trail a second time. The idea was that in the walking the first time you took note of where the target animal, quail today, liked to gather and then the second time you flushed it out and killed it, bagging up the kills towards the end of the trip instead of attracting flies and other hunters to you by carrying around the dead animals all day.

The first round on the trail was filled with boisterous laughter, jokes, conversation and competition, flushing out a lot of quail as they went. Lunch was thick rolls purchased from a deli on the way to this isolated hunting spot and beer or coffee from an extra large thermos Brad had brought with him. They were just finished cleaning up from their lunch when Derek's phone rang. He checked the number and grinned hugely.

"Hey babe, called to rescue me from my exile?" he teased.

Her soft snort made his smile grow. "You aren't exiled, Dave and Aaron are. You're just keeping the exiles company to keep them from doing something stupid like returning early or calling inappropriately to the rules their wives laid down for them. But that is beside the point. Someone was missing you and wanted to say hello. Turn on the video feed." He raised an eyebrow at her words but did just that, amused despite himself that she still couldn't figure out how to do it from her end. As her face came into view, he watched her look away from him for a moment before the angle quickly changed and his son came into view. His now _standing_ son.

"Ben, come say hi to Daddy. Walk to Daddy."

With his heart pounding as he realised the potential for what Jordan was ensuring he didn't miss out on, he added quickly, "Hey Ben-baby, can you walk to Mummy so you can say hello to Daddy?"

His heart warmed at his son's happy shriek of "Daddy!" and though his steps were really wobbly, it was clear that he _was_ walking and suddenly he felt like crying at the joy of the moment. When he reached them, the phone was clearly passed to someone else and he got to watch Jordan swing Ben in circles as the child squealed with glee to an accompaniment of clapping and cheering on both sides of the phone. The realisation that the guys were all gathered around him sharing in his happiness as they pounded his back in congratulations warmed him further. A minute later, he could see Ben up close again and his son was clearly excited over his newfound skill as he reached out to touch the screen.

"Daddy see?"

"Yes I did Ben-baby and I am _very_ proud of you. You did such a great job and I can't wait to come home and have you walk to me so you can fly in my arms."

Ben liked being 'flown' about the house by his father, who was strong and tireless, so he bounced happily in his mother's arms and wriggled to get down and show off his new skill again. Derek spent a few minutes cheering Ben on, until the child clearly became tired and climbed back into Jordan's lap for a cuddle. She wished him a good afternoon hunting and ended the call and Derek took a few minutes to check that the video had saved what he'd immediately started to record upon his realisation of the reason for the call.

When he looked up, the guys were waiting patiently for him, so he grabbed his gear and walked over to them. They had only gotten a few minutes down the path when Aaron reached for his ringing phone. He frowned as he looked at the caller.

"Hold up a minute guys, it's Carrie." They stopped moving and gathered around him as he answered the call. "Hello?"

"Aaron, it's time."

"Are you sure? She's only 35 weeks and they hadn't looked as if they were ready to come at yesterday's scan."

"Does her water breaking convince you?"

"Okay, I'm coming back."

"We've called an ambulance, so I'll keep you updated with where she's at. Bring everyone home with you. Teresa wasn't feeling well earlier, though you may not tell Dave that, and us ladies would like to have a little chat with him before he ruins the best thing that has ever happened to him beyond repair. We'd also like to be there for you and Emily, so we need the guys to babysit for us."

"I'll let them know they're needed. Do I need to rush home, or can I make my way safely?"

"One moment." He heard her speaking with someone else, and figured she was checking on Emily's temperament. He started praying that his wife would forgive him and give him a chance to explain. Seconds later, Carrie came back on the line. "Emily wants you there early enough so that the two of you can talk and hopefully clear this up before they arrive. So don't speed, but don't be too sedate about returning either."

"Understood. We'll see you all soon."

He looked at everyone as he put the phone away. "Dave, expect to be grilled excessively by the ladies before they let you back near Teresa. Carrie wants everyone back and babysitting so they can be there for Emily and Emily wants me back safely but pronto so she can talk to me."

They all nodded agreement and headed at a jog for the parking lot.

**End**

**A/N: Woohoo! Baby Hotchner's are on their way. I'll go get started on their arrival.**

**Stay tuned; R is for...**

**Please review with the conveniently placed link right under these words. I love to know what you think and it makes me type faster and update quicker. **


	18. R is for Raw Emotion

**A/N: This chapter just flowed...I don't know; maybe I just do better at writing the darker scenes than I do the light ones. And yes, I worry about my mind too.**

**I am going to keep this short today, for I think you all know how amazing you are to me by now and how much your encouragement keeps me moving forward. Especially for something as small as Q was in the grand scheme of things. Thanks to Hazmatt (I do like Dave, so I'm not intentionally picking on him, I promise), Wtiger5 (maybe I should stop promising drama-free huh?), Daisyangel (I enjoyed writing the guys pov), HGRHfan35 (just keeping you on your toes...but in this you'll really get a feel for Aaron's pov) and NicknHotchfan (I can't wait to meet the babies either) for reviewing so quickly. I really do appreciate you all more than words can say.**

**Wtiger5...words can't fully express how grateful I am that you put up with me in all my twisty-turny little ways. But you're still here, you haven't disowned me, and my work just keeps getting better because of your support and your belief in me that it is worth continuing. Thank you.**

**WARNING: This chapter is most definitely rated M, as some of the content may be a little disturbing for some readers.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds at all, although they do own me and I do own Carrie, Mirkal and Toby, Chloe and India, Ben, Kelly, Brad, Josiah, Nicola and Danielle. **

Raw Emotion

"Okay, Aaron's on his way back and so are the rest of the guys. I also informed him that we'd like to have a little chat with Dave before he does anything else."

Jordan nodded at Carrie. "Good idea. Perhaps if we can clear the air before things get a little more breakable everyone will be better off."

"Speaking of Dave though, has anyone seen Teresa since she went to the bathroom?" Emily asked worriedly as her abdomen tightened again.

Kelly frowned as she walked out of the room. "I walked her there, I'll see if she's alright." A sense of unease settled in her gut as she walked down to the still-closed bathroom door and knocked. "Teresa, honey, are you alright?" She gave it a few seconds, leaning close to try to hear what might be happening, before she knocked again. "Teresa?" After another few seconds she hesitantly tried the doorknob and was relieved to find it unlocked. Pushing it open slowly, the overpowering smell of blood made her gag. A second later, the sight made her feel faint.

"Somebody help!" she screamed as she shot forward and crouched down next to Teresa's crumpled form. Running footsteps were followed by several whimpers and then Jordan crouched down beside her.

"Austin, go tell Emily she'll need to wait while the first ambulance takes Teresa to the hospital. Then put in a second emergency call and tell them what happened. Lydia..."

"I'll call Aaron and tell them to step on it."

"Thanks. JJ, go stay with Emily. Penelope, we need you to keep the children away from here. Carrie, we need towels and lots of them."

"Thanks," Kelly whispered as everyone dispersed. "I just froze...I couldn't remember what I needed to do. I should have watched her more closely..."

"We _all_ should have paid closer attention to how pale and sick she was feeling, but we were too focused on her emotional pain; beating ourselves up now won't help at all. Can you call Brad and see if we should be doing something specific?"

She nodded and pulled out her phone as the sound of sirens filled the air.

New Section

"Hi Lydia, is everything alright?"

"No it isn't. You guys need to step on it and I mean that with all urgency. Emily's fine, but Teresa's taken a fall and is bleeding everywhere."

"Is the baby alright?"

"We don't know. She's unconscious and from the look on Kelly's face as she took her pulse, I don't think she liked what she felt. The ambulance we were going to put Emily on will take Teresa instead because she needs it more. Someone will call again when Teresa reaches the hospital and then when Emily is on her way."

"Thanks Lydia."

He hung up the call and reached into the glove box. Pulling out the emergency strobe light they had for the vehicle, he attached it to the windshield and toggled it on as Dave raised an eyebrow at him.

"Pull over Dave, we need to switch drivers."

"What's wrong with my driving? And do you really think you should be the one driving with your wife at risk?"

"Neither of us is driving, Will is. Now pull over."

Dave shrugged and did as he was told, though something warned him not to give up the position he held as he got out. He saw Will shrug at the vehicle Derek drove behind them and then they were on the road again.

"You want to tell us what has changed?" Will asked as he pushed the vehicle back up to the speed limit.

"Lydia phoned. The ambulance just arriving will be taking Teresa to the hospital instead of Emily. Teresa fell somehow and there is a lot of blood involved. And before you ask me Dave, that is the extent of what I know because that was all she knew."

Dave started swearing and muttering softly as Will put his foot to the floor and the car shot forward as the vehicle behind finally figured out something was wrong and moved to keep pace with them.

New Section

Emily watched the ladies standing at the window as the ambulance peeled out of the drive with Teresa in it. Kelly and Jordan had gone with her, the rest of the group opting to stay with Emily for the moment. She appreciated the company, but something inside told her Dave and Teresa were going to need _everyone's_ support by the time this day was over.

New Section

An hour had passed since the ambulance had rushed off to take Teresa to the hospital. Brad had headed straight to the hospital with Dave to ensure he had the support of someone who knew the system and could explain what all the medical terms and equipment meant. The rest of the men had arrived at the house to find Emily walking the downstairs hall slowly back and forth with Carrie and Lydia for support while Penelope, JJ and Austin watched over the kids. The kids themselves were a little frightened by everything going on around them, particularly the older ones who understood that it was very serious, but the three mums had immediately moved in tandem to distract them and chaotic fun had ensued. And when the men had joined in on the excitement, releasing the women to return to support her as they waited for the ambulance to arrive, the happy noises coming from the backyard had definitely increased.

For her part, Emily was glad that her children weren't unduly worried about her. She on the other hand, was beginning to get worried about the increasing pain she was in and the fact that an ambulance had yet to arrive to take her to the help she needed.

"Let's head to the bedroom. I'll lie down for a bit while Aaron and I talk."

Five minutes later she watched Aaron as he settled on a chair he had pulled to the side of the bed where she could easily see him.

"You have one minute to give me the truth of what has been happening with you over the last few months in particular. No more sugar-coating the truth, no more evasion. I want to purge this resentment and anger I am feeling toward you for your smothering protectiveness, and I can't do that while your only excuse for your actions is that this _might_ be a repeat of last time and you are simply ensuring that help is always on hand. Put that away and treat me with the honour and respect I deserve as your wife and _tell me the truth_."

He nodded slowly, the defeat he clearly felt in both his posture and his eyes as they held hers. "In trying to protect you from what's going on in my head, I've clearly only made things worse and for that I am so very sorry. Since I can't undo the past, here now is the unbridled truth. You know I haven't been sleeping well since we discovered your iron levels were low back in February?" When she acknowledged that she'd noticed, he continued. "When I sleep, I find myself standing in the barren wasteland I found myself in when I had my breakdown last year. But I'm not panicked just yet, because I can feel the essence that is you all around me, even though I can't see you.

"But then I hear a rushing sound that quickly turns into a roar, like a river coming rapidly closer. The panic starts as your essence fades and I turn to see a river of blood rushing straight at me. I find I can't move as it sweeps over me but before I drown the image changes, and I am on a flimsy raft and all I can see in any direction is the blood. Then I see something floating in the fluid and I reach out to grab it and what I thought might be clothing turns out to be the back of Jack's head. I've grabbed his hair and I'm pulling him out of the blood and onto the raft and he's blue, which is weird because he was floating in something red, but I know instantly as I look at him that he's beyond my ability to save.

"I start to cry, but before the tears completely blur my vision, I see two more objects floating in the blood and I'm afraid to find out who else might be there but I can't seem to stop myself and the next thing I know, I have Chloe and India lying on the raft beside Jack, just as blue and just as dead."

Emily started to cry softly as she watched the tears fall unheeded down Aaron's face, reading the unmistakable grief there that had clearly opened his soul and rubbed it raw over the last months. She opened her mouth to stop him, not needing to hear anything more and hating herself for her own selfishness in not seeing what he was suffering through because she was so focused on her own restrictions, when he started speaking again and she felt her whole being go cold at the brokenness she heard in his voice.

"I don't know what made me look up after burying my face in my hands but I did and there was something else. _Someone_ else, I found as I pulled you out of the blood. Each night I slept and pulled you out of the blood, you were just as pregnant in my dreams as you were when I wrapped my arms around you. Nothing I did stopped you from going cold and blue under my touch, for I had pulled you out while you were still alive. But it was as if I had lost my mind completely, because I couldn't remember what to do to make you start breathing again and there was no one around to turn to for help.

"By this time I felt like the slightest touch would shatter me completely into irreparable pieces. The touch, when it comes, and it _always_ comes, doesn't actually touch me physically, though it might as well have for the results. Your eyes suddenly snap open and they are so dark and so accusing as you demand of me, 'Why didn't you save us'?. Then Jack, Chloe and India are all looking at me in the same way and they chorus the same thing, over and over again, until your voice joins them and far off in the distance I can hear the sound of infants wailing in fear. I start screaming in pain as I fall apart and that's when I wake up."

"Aaron..."

"You know, Renaldi hasn't quite figured out why this dream hasn't broken my mind again. We've spent more hours talking about this one subject in the last few weeks than we have talking about anything else over the last year and a bit, but still he has no answers for me. He's been urging me for months to tell you about it, stating that it might help purge the dream to gain your understanding and perspective on it, but I couldn't. I didn't want to increase your stress any more than carrying a second set of twins within a two year span was already causing you. So I kept quiet, suffered in silence, and prayed that once you had the babies you could forgive me when I was finally able to back away from you and give you your space back."

She swallowed her emotions, shoving them down deep so that he wouldn't be any more overwhelmed than he already was. "Did you come up with any theories about why the dream started in the first place or where it came from?"

He shrugged tiredly and ran his hands over his face, clearly surprised to realise he'd been crying. He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and started to mop up his face. "The only thing we could come up with was the dream was triggered by your collapse in the nursery, that it too closely mirrored your collapse during your first labour. He also thinks that is where all the blood in my dream is coming from. His theory is that the dream will stop once you have safely delivered the twins. He's strongly urging us to avoid getting pregnant again in the future for at _least_ the next two years so that he can focus on rebuilding my mind to full health before anything else has a chance to come along and weaken it further."

"I was going to wait til this pregnancy was over to tell you I was never going through this again, that you'd just have to be happy with five children. But I'm guessing I don't need to at the moment?"

He shook his head tiredly. "I'm thinking of getting myself fixed. I doubt I would survive going through this again, and I certainly don't want to destroy us if I get worse in the future."

She blinked in shock. She wouldn't have suggested that option for the world, but it just went to show how heavily this had been weighing on him.

"Aaron, I wish you'd told me all this sooner. There's nothing I wouldn't do to ensure your peace of mind, and I certainly would have done my best to be even more understanding over the last months if I'd known what you were having to deal with nightly. Can you forgive my selfishness in not seeing your needs because I was so focused on my own?"

He shifted from the chair to the bed and gently eased her up into his arms. "As far as I'm concerned there isn't anything you've done that I need to forgive you for. Can you forgive me for being an utter, closed-mouthed, first-class prick during the greater portion of this pregnancy?"

She started to laugh at his description but groaned instead as an intense contraction gripped her hard. She had been able to ignore the increasing frequency of the contractions over the last few minutes because Aaron had been more important. Now that it felt like a deep wound had been lanced to remove the infection that had been festering, there was nothing more pressing holding her attention and the babies were letting her know clearly that they didn't like being ignored.

Aaron rubbed the small of her back until the contraction eased and she was never more glad to have him on her side. "You're forgiven," she gasped out. "But if you ever keep a secret of this magnitude from me again for more than a week you'll find yourself in more trouble than you might be able to dig yourself out of. Underst..."

He waited until the pain had eased before declaring he understood completely. "They're getting more intense, aren't they?"

She nodded and leaned more heavily against him for a moment before pushing back. "Can you get one of the girls to follow up on where that ambulance is? I'm beginning to feel like I need to push."

He kissed her tenderly and stood as he eased her back to the bed. "I'll be back in a minute with the answer."

She closed her eyes as he left the room, relieved that she finally knew what was going on with her husband. Sadness filled her at what he'd tried unsuccessfully to deal with on his own over the last months, but it was equalled by her resolve to do what was needed to ensure they never reached this point again.

Noise at the door brought her eyes open and she saw Aaron and Carrie standing there.

"They cancelled the second ambulance, thinking the request had been raised in error after the first ambulance picked up Teresa. The call centre is raising another, more urgent request and will see that the first available team is routed in this direction, but they're stating they have been swamped with urgent calls over the last hour and it might take a bit for someone to arrive."

"You're joking," she stated flatly as her pain increased on equal par with her sudden need to push.

"I'm afraid not love."

"Brad's not here, is he?"

"Why?" Carrie asked nervously.

"Because if I don't push in the next few minutes I just might explode."

New Section

_You wrecked the best thing to ever happen to you and only _now_ do you realise this? You're being punished Dave...you didn't appreciate and love her properly before and now it's too late to even bother trying. Just give up now while you still have the energy left to burn. _

He had arrived at the hospital thinking maybe Teresa had a concussion and that the blood mentioned related to her fall in that way. What he had discovered upon talking with Kelly and Jordan was so much worse.

Yes, she had a concussion, but it was the least of the doctor's worries. Kelly had opened up the bathroom door to find Teresa lying in a spreading pool of blood that was clearly coming from an area no expectant mother should ever bleed that much from. And by the time they'd reached the hospital, she had been haemorrhaging so badly that they hadn't hesitated to rush her straight into surgery, a team already in place and ready to go immediately.

And even then the prognosis had been grim. Telling Dave had been so tough that any and all conversation had stalled to a halt and all they had been able to do was pray that everything would come good in the end despite the odds against that.

"Dave."

He looked up at the urgency in Brad's voice and jumped to his feet as Teresa's surgeon walked toward them. He was so grateful that Brad was a friend in addition to being a trauma surgeon; having the younger man there to explain what was happening in a way that he actually understood had given him just a little peace of mind. And because Brad was with him, Teresa's doctor was fully focused on her health and welfare, which could only be of benefit at this time.

Kelly and Jordan stood as well, clinging to each other as they all braced for what they could clearly see was bad news. Dave swallowed hard, fighting nausea and panic in equal measure as he took in the man's grave expression.

"Doc?" he pleaded hoarsely

**End**

**A/N: Sorry, no babies this chapter. I thought it was more important to focus on getting Emily and Aaron sorted before the family expanded. Stay tuned for the shocks and surprises coming in the next one.**

**Stay tuned; S is for...**

**Please review with the conveniently placed link right under these words. I love to know what you think and it makes me type faster and update quicker. **


	19. S is for Sorrow

**A/N: All I'm going to say here is, I hope you all still like me when you get done with this chapter. Just remember that while I may be the drama queen, I am also the queen of the happy endings and every one of the characters in these stories are equally important to me.**

**Okay, I have to say I'm a bit blown away that only one of you scolded me for where I left things; I fully expected to get blasted, so your kind words of encouragement really lifted me up and made me smile. Many, MANY thanks to Hazmatt (I'm afraid the emotional parts aren't quite done yet), HGRHfan35 (I did promise happiness, which is a promise I broke, but I am still the queen of the happy ending; just remember that when you're thinking about shredding me), Daisyangel (thank you for scolding me; I think I would have been sad if I'd missed that), NicknHotchfan (Rossi's a bit slow sometimes, but he's definitely not too old to learn something new) and Wtiger5 (thank you darling...I like hearing things like awesome, particularly when I was nervous for the reception of it) for not hating me through the many trials I put my characters through. I totally couldn't do this without all of you.**

**HGRHfan35 – I wasn't intending for S to follow the path that it is as you see it below. I was naming it something else entirely and there was to be a lot more to it. But I liked your guess of title so much so that I entirely changed the format of the chapter, not to mention the title. So I am dedicating this one to you, as a thank you for helping me focus on the important matters at hand here.**

**Wtiger5 - Despite the craziness of my twisty-turny mind, there you are supporting me ALL the time, even when I make you a bit uncomfortable with the extremes I take things to. You make my good work amazing and I would fully be lost now without you making it better. Love ya muchly.**

**WARNING: This chapter is rated M.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds at all, although they do own me and I do own Carrie, Mirkal and Toby, Chloe and India, Ben, Kelly, Brad, Josiah, Nicola and Danielle. **

Sorrow

Dave watched Teresa's eyelids flutter and idly wondered how it was that he'd never noticed how pretty her eyes were even as she slept. Of course, in the hours since the doctor had shown him in to the private room where his wife had been settled, he had noticed a lot of things he was pretty certain he had previously taken for granted.

_Never again..._

He leaned forward in the most uncomfortable hospital chair he had ever come across and gently stroked her cheek as her eyes opened. He could tell she was barely conscious, and not at all focused on him; his hope was that he could ease her back to sleep for just a little longer.

_Keep reality at bay just a little longer cara mia..._

Her eyes came to rest on him and her focus sharpened just enough to tell him it was time for him to face his own reality.

"Hello beautiful."

"Dave."

Her voice was barely a whisper of sound, threaded through with the weakness that came with losing the majority of your blood volume in a very short space of time. He hated the pain he saw flittering in her eyes and would have given anything to be able to trade places with her just to end it.

"Go back to sleep cara mia. I'm not going anywhere."

She said something too softly for him to catch, so he leaned in even closer as she repeated it. "Can't...need to know...about the baby."

She was fading on him, so he kept up the gentle rhythmic stroking of his hand, and only fully let the air in his lungs out with a soft sigh as she slipped back in to sleep. He chose to stay close for another minute before easing back into his chair and resting his linked fists against his lips as he returned to his contemplation of her features.

_How do I tell her that her whole world has been turned upside down and inside out? She already hates me and now she's going to hate me all the more when I'm forced to reveal the truth to her. So how do I do this without losing the most precious soul I have ever met?_

"Why are you crying?"

He opened eyes he hadn't even realised he'd closed to find her watching him closely.

"Hey you. Was I crying?"

"You still are."

"Yes, I suppose I was. I was remembering my terror when I realised that I might lose you before I had the chance to tell you what an utter ass I've been."

She smiled slightly. "Considering I'm right here and I don't think I'm dreaming, go on."

He grinned, relieved at the easy look in her eyes. He knew it wouldn't last long, so he dove right in, knowing she deserved so much more than what she'd been given.

"Reid said it best while we were out hunting. 'In the past you've always had sons; doesn't mean the future can't take a completely different path'."

"Sounds like you're quoting."

"I am. It was so incredibly profound in that moment, and really led to me kicking myself repeatedly for not having thought of it first. You see, I made a promise to myself as I held you in my arms during our first dance at the wedding. I promised that I was finally enlightened enough that I wasn't going to repeat the mistakes of my past. Yet now, here I am in the same position I found myself in right before my last three wives walked out on me.

"And do you know what? If you walked, I wouldn't even blame you for it. You were right to kick me out. I have been so stuck in the dark ages that I didn't even show how modern-day man I can be. I turned into the old dog who couldn't learn any new tricks and didn't really want to. Instead of dwelling on the past, I should have been looking to the future with that same anticipation I felt in the second I realised you were telling me you were pregnant. It shouldn't have mattered a bit to me whether we had a girl or a boy, but I kept missing my moments to grab hold of your joy and stretch it to make it my own.

"And then they called to say you were being rushed to hospital and all I could think was, I only just figured it out; please don't take her away before I get the chance to tell her I love her and our son _or_ daughter with everything I am and that _nothing_ would stop me from showing that with everything I am for the rest of my life.

"I don't deserve you for a second, but I've been sitting here praying that your graciousness would extend to forgiveness for the world-class prick I've been these last months and that you'll give me yet _another_ chance to start over with you."

He held his breath for a moment, and only just held in his groan at the realisation that she'd fallen asleep sometime in the middle of his impassioned apology. Then her eyes flickered open and that slight smile came back over her features.

"I kept getting distracted by the tears running down your cheeks, so I thought that I'd close my eyes to hear the truth of the matter. Dave, I love you more than anything, but these last months have really shredded my joy in our marriage and more than that, my joy in being pregnant. I'd actually come to resent our child for the rift he or she had caused between us. I love you too much to just give up on us and let you go, but if you become the man you've been for the last few months during my next pregnancy, we're through. Do you understand?"

The pain Dave felt at her words sliced him to the core, stealing his breath and causing his heart to ricochet painfully in his ribcage. Despite the pain she was clearly in, Teresa proved herself again to be the incredibly smart woman she'd been born to be.

"Dave? I've never seen you flinch like that, _ever._ What did I say?"

_Now's your moment. Don't wreck it any more than it already is..._

"What do you remember before you lost consciousness?"

She frowned slightly, closing her eyes with a wince. He leaned forward and gently stroked her hair until her eyes opened and she replied softly, "I remember feeling a really sharp pain through my abdomen followed by a sense of panic as the pain retreated and came back in the same minute. It was so sudden, with no warning and I was thinking there was something wrong with the baby that he or she was coming early and that I was going to throw up. Only then I passed out."

He nodded heavily and eased up to sit on the edge of the bed, getting as much closeness and contact as he could out of the movement.

"Kelly found you passed out on the bathroom floor lying in a pool of blood. They put you on the ambulance meant for Emily and rushed you straight into surgery when you arrived. When they opened you up, they found that the placenta had detached from the wall of your uterus; that whole cavity was filled with blood and you had been haemorrhaging as far back as the bathroom floor. They couldn't get the bleeding to stop; you were losing it faster than they could get donor blood units into you. You were dying on the table and they saw only one way to save your life so they took it."

She shook her head slowly as tears began to slide down her cheeks. "No..."

He swallowed a sob as he gently cupped her face in his hands. "Yes baby. I'm so sorry, sorrier than I know how to articulate, but to save your life, the surgeon performed a hysterectomy. He had no other option because they had already tried everything else. And they still almost lost you while he was doing it."

She started to sob heavily and he lifted her up slightly, wrapping his arms securely around her as she clung to him. He cried with her, because it was all he had left to offer her in this moment. He had no notion of time passing, but eventually her heavy sobs eased and she pulled back from him slightly.

"Did they take everything?" she whispered, the pain now in her eyes showing the depth of her emotions and having nothing to do with her physical health.

He shook his head and gently pushed her hair back. "There was no need to take everything. Once he removed your uterus and began closing his incisions, he found that the bleeding started to stop on its own. You'd lost too much blood by that stage and he admitted they had to pretty much replace your entire blood volume, but once he did your stats started to settle and he was able to avoid taking the rest."

"What about my dream of having a large family?"

"We can always look into adoption; I'm sure Kelly and Brad could give us the contact details for the agency they dealt with to find their children."

"Okay."

He felt concern wrap around him at the defeat he heard in her voice and he latched on to the one thing that might help, despite the warning from the doctor that this kind of reaction was normal.

"Do you want to know about the baby?"

She shook her head and pulled back out of his arms to settle back against the pillows. "Not right now. I'm pretty tired so I think I might just sleep. And you look like death warmed over, so you should probably try to get some sleep of your own. But tell me first; how's Emily?"

_Emily, not the baby...bury the hurt Dave; love and support her for now. She just needs some time to adjust. At least she's still talking to you._

"Emily's situation turned into an incredibly _interesting_ one about an hour ago."

"Oh?"

**End**

**A/N: Sorry, I know I promised baby Hotchners, but I thought I'd aim for baby Rossi's instead and then even _that_ didn't happen. But I promise babies _are_ coming, and soon.**

**Stay tuned; T is for...**

**Please review with the conveniently placed link right under these words. I love to know what you think and it makes me type faster and update quicker. **


	20. T is for Turbulence

**A/N: Okay, after S, I was sure I was going to be shot for what I did to Teresa. Instead it seems that everyone was chasing the triplets idea I hadn't even contemplated. So sorry to everyone I am disappointing when I tell you Emily is only giving birth to two babies, not three. You did however spark a mischievous conversation with my beta that gave me a wicked idea for future use with this concept that I think you will all enjoy when the time comes.**

**Bless you all for being so kind to me after the last chapter. And I am so incredibly thankful for your continued support whether I am posting regularly or not. Thanks for the last chapter go out to Wtiger5, HGRHfan35 (just her uterus; ovaries and the rest were left behind), sarahb2007, lizard84, NicknHotchfan and Hazmatt.**

**Wtiger5 – You know I couldn't do this without you. You are my support, medical guru and sister all in one; we are two peas from the same pod. Love you lots.**

**WARNING: This chapter is rated M.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds at all, although they do own me and I do own Carrie, Mirkal and Toby, Chloe and India, Ben, Kelly, Brad, Josiah, Nicola and Danielle. **

Turbulence

"We've got another problem," Carrie whispered to Aaron. Emily's eyes were closed as she panted on the bed. They were beyond time for the ambulance to arrive and everyone was getting a little panicked because their favourite doctor wasn't in residence, and his wife, who had stepped in to save the day last time was also missing in action.

"Another one? Is this one actually solvable?"

"Unfortunately not. A factory clear across town had a nasty chemical spill that caught fire. Due to the size of the factory and the fact that it is the middle of the afternoon on a work day, they have routed almost all emergency services personnel to that scene. They've left two ambulances for other runs, but we're still well and truly down on the list."

"Did you explain Emily's near-death experience with her last labour?"

"I did, and while she sympathised, there wasn't anything she could do about it. She did suggest that if we could, we drive her to the hospital..." her voice trailed off as Aaron shook his head.

"That might have worked when she first went in to labour, but it won't now. I checked her a moment ago and she is definitely on the brink of delivering. Can you hold her hand and support her? I won't ask anyone else to do this when I can step in to it."

"Aaron." He looked down to find Emily looking worriedly up at him. "Are you sure you're up for that?"

He smiled gently and lightly stroked her cheek. "I have to Emily; who else is there? And if all goes well, perhaps it'll help break the hold of that dream once and for all."

"What dream?" Carrie asked as she traded places with Aaron. But she was left wondering as Aaron shook his head and Emily screamed, bringing everyone within the boundaries of the house running.

"Dad?"

"Jack, go back to whatever you were all doing and keep the younger children busy. I promise everything will be alright, but I need you to stay away from here. Alright?"

Jack nodded, trying not to show how scared he was as Mirkal lifted him up and gave him a hug as the adults herded the children from sight and pulled the door closed behind them. It was opened a few seconds later by Lydia.

"What do you guys need? We've already got clean towels in the dryer to get them all toasty-hot, the kettle is boiling in case you need to clean or sterilize anything, the scissors are waiting on the boiled water, we've got string for the cords; have we missed anything?"

"Get someone out to the car and get it running. I know it's hot out, but crank the heat right up. Once they're born, I'm driving them all across to the hospital."

"So start up the Yukon so you can run with lights and sirens?"

"Yes please, thanks Lydia."

"Not a problem Aaron. If you need anything else, just shout."

"Will do." He waited until the door was closed again before looking at Carrie. "Can you please call Brad and see if he can advise us on this? I'm really not up to doing it on my own."

"Will do," she echoed, shooting him a smile that eased a bit of his tension. The realisation that he wasn't in this alone settled deep inside and took root and he forced the tension out so he could focus on the important task in front of him.

"Emily, you with me here?"

She nodded tiredly. "Yes I am, and I promise to tell you immediately if I feel something even slightly off."

"That's my lady. Hey, I know I've been a first class jerk lately, but I do love you with all my heart and twisted intentions and I fully believe that you _can_ do this."

He caught her eyes, and was humbled by the blaze of her love shining there as she lifted a shaking hand to his cheek. "Let the past go Aaron, as much as you can, because it keeps getting in the way of our future. I love you, have always loved you, and don't intend to change my mind about it now for any reason. But it doesn't mean that actions and words can't sour that love temporarily, and I _really_ don't want that."

"Me neither. I don't deserve you."

She grinned impishly. "At the moment, no you don't. _However,_ by the time you've delivered your two sons, you will have more than made up that gap."

He laughed as Carrie closed the phone with a hand that shook violently. "Brad can't come."

Emily gasped and Aaron asked almost angrily, "Why the hell not? He knows better than anyone how close I almost came to losing Em last year."

"They almost lost Teresa on the table, and had to perform a hysterectomy to save her life. Then I gathered that there was an unforseen complication with the baby that Kelly wasn't privy to, but it boiled down to the fact that she was sitting in the waiting room with Jordan and Brad was in with Dave while he dealt with everything happening within his new family."

Aaron felt sick; he was glad that his anger had not been directed at his best friend. "Dave can keep Brad. Is the baby alright? And is there someone else there who could help us?"

"Good questions, both of them. Kelly knew little beyond the fact that doctors are hopeful they can somewhat easily remedy the child's complication. Like I said, she doesn't know what went wrong, but she did assure me the baby is alive, as is Teresa. And I'm just dialling the hospital now."

"Aaron," Emily whimpered. His head whipped back around to see her and he knew instantly that they were well and truly out of time by the strain he could see on her features and throughout her body.

He shifted around, until he was kneeling between her spread legs. Reaching out, he grasped her knees and squeezed firmly to ensure he had her full attention. "Why don't you brace your feet against my shoulders. You push as hard as you need to and because I'll be leaning forward it will ensure that you're securely braced."

She nodded tightly and did that as she moaned. "He's coming."

"I know baby, I can see his head already. Carrie?"

"They have me on hold while they see if someone is available."

"Did you actually speak to Brad directly...no of course you didn't," he muttered as she shook her head miserably. "He would have just turned the phone off when he realised what was going on. Okay, I remember the plane trip before everything goes gray and foggy. Carrie, I need you to count down from ten to one in a loud voice when I tell you to. Emily, do you remember what you do while she's counting and when she stops."

"Yes, and no I don't have time to recite...ah!" her voice petered out in a long scream and Aaron nodded at Carrie, who started counting belated just after Emily started pushing.

He was impressed that his wife managed to stop pushing and start panting when Carrie stopped counting, and even more impressed at the fact that Carrie didn't pass out despite how pale she looked. Minutes passed and merged into each other as Aaron praised and cajoled and Carrie comforted and encouraged. Somewhere in there, Carrie set the phone down so that both her hands were free and then it was just too noisy to hear anything anyway.

"Come on Em, almost there almost...just one more push!"

Emily obliged with a short scream that ended in gasping breaths as the first of their sons slithered out into Aaron's waiting hands. Suddenly realising that he was short the towels he needed, he turned to find Lydia standing there with one ready to go, scissors on the edge of the bed near her along with several lengths of string.

With a great deal of reverence and a growing dose of fear at the silence, Aaron placed his son on the hot towel and Lydia knelt down, placed the baby, towel and all, on her lap and started to rub him briskly.

"Penelope did some quick research on what to do if they were born not breathing. This action also helps with their circulation."

He nodded curtly as he secured the umbilical cord and cut it, then took the son she held out to him as Emily used Carrie for leverage to push up enough to see what was going on.

He listened to Lydia explain what to do just as a woman's perky voice was heard in the room. "Hello, anyone there?"

"Are you a doctor?" Carrie asked anxiously as she watched the baby for any signs that he might be breathing. At five weeks early, she knew the lungs might not be fully developed just yet, but surely he should at least be breathing by now.

"I'm a midwife. I was told there was a woman in labour with twins and no one with medical training to assist."

"That's right. She just had the first baby and he isn't breathing," Lydia stated quickly. "We've got him in a hot towel for heat and we're rubbing him briskly to try to stimulate him but it isn't working," she added in hot frustration as she battled tears.

"Alright, I want everyone to just stay calm. Is his airway clear?"

"How do I do that?" Aaron asked hoarsely as he battled to keep his eyes clear of the tears threatening to blind him. "Come on baby, breathe dammit."

"What's your name?"

"Aaron."

"Alright Aaron, you need one of the ladies with you, because their fingers are smaller than yours."

"Tell me," Lydia ordered without hesitation.

The unknown woman spoke in a calm, clear voice. "The first thing you need to do is make sure that there isn't any gunk or fluids in his mouth. A turkey baster is best if you have one, but you can use a corner of the towel as well. Then clear out anything in his nose using your little finger."

"Is that going to work?" Carrie asked anxiously as Lydia raced out the door.

"Clearing his mouth should stimulate him to breathe. You can also start flicking the soles of his feet."

"How does that help?" Aaron demanded as Lydia raced back into the room with the turkey baster and several fresh towels in hand.

"It should stimulate him to start breathing. If you do it as the turkey baster is used, it should have more effect."

Lydia did as she was instructed, as Aaron alternated rubbing his child's back and flicking his tiny feet, hoping and praying that a miracle would occur as tears slid down his cheeks.

Then they all held their breath.

And he found his breath with a cough and a wail that weakly announced his displeasure of the change in his circumstances. Aaron bundled him up tightly in a fresh towel and lifted him into Emily's outstretched arms.

"Hey beautiful boy. Hey..."

Lydia gave Aaron a hug as Emily tried to see through her tears enough to see if her son looked more like his father or more like her.

"His breathing sounds kinda wet," Carrie pointed out anxiously as she looked at her newest charge with reverence.

"Okay, before we go on, how about we get some introductions out the way. I'm Jaymie. I've been a midwife for ten years and if it is of any comfort, I have yet to lose a baby."

"That is comforting, and I'll thank you on behalf of everyone for arriving on the line when you did. Like I said earlier, my name is Aaron, and gratitude doesn't even _begin_ to cover my emotions right now over your saving my son."

"You're welcome. The mother..."

"I'm Emily, and I echo my husband's sentiments completely," she said raggedly as she tried to catch her breath and listen to her son breathe at the same time, worried now too that his breathing sounded so congested. "With us are Carrie, our nanny and good friend, and Lydia, another of our very good friends. Lydia is the one who indicated our son wasn't breathing and Carrie was the one who asked about how wet his breathing now sounds?" she ended in enquiry, hoping to get a straight answer and not a platitude that wouldn't comfort her anyway.

"Yes, I was getting to that. Are your babies being born prematurely? The tech who found me didn't know anything."

"Five weeks early," Aaron said as he took Carrie's place temporarily. He knew he had another son coming, but he intended to take these few quiet moments to bond with this child that had already been born. He rested his head against Emily's and said softly, "Are we happy with the names we discussed?"

She nodded her head slightly and he nodded his in affirmation. He could hear the softness, the smile, in Emily's voice as she softly named their son. "Welcome to our family Micah Bennett Hotchner. You look like your daddy, and if you're anything at all like him, you'll be alright. Just keep breathing for me baby, just breathe."

Jaymie's voice filled the ensuing silence. "As to the wetness of the breathing; are you all aware that a baby is not considered full-term until 37 weeks?" When they'd all murmured their affirmations, she continued, "The reason for this is that certain vital organs are mostly developed at 35 weeks, but need a few more weeks to ensure they can function without too much difficulty outside the womb. The fact that Micah is having trouble breathing is unfortunately normal for being born this early. Just keep him slightly elevated for now and keep an ear out for the sounds he's making. Let me know if anything changes, no matter how small that change may sound. Has an ambulance been called?"

"Yes. We called when Emily first went into labour, but a pregnant friend of ours started bleeding really badly so we sent her with that first bus. Then we put in another call, but found out an hour later that it had been cancelled as they thought Teresa was the only one needing it. So we told them what happened and they said they'd do what they could, but they couldn't guarantee that it would arrive quickly. _Then_ we received a call that it would be even longer before it arrived because a factory across town exploded."

"Oh dear; no wonder you were all in a panic. Emily, how're you feeling at the moment?"

"At the moment I feel fine."

"You aren't really bleeding more than what I'd guess is normal either," Lydia added after taking a quick peek.

"Was that a concern for you in the past?" Jaymie enquired.

"Emily nearly lost her life during her last labour," Aaron said quietly. "She'd just delivered the baby on a plane and then suddenly she was bleeding excessively. As far as we knew, she was only having one child, but it turns out she was carrying twins. They delivered our second child there on the plane by emergency caesarean when they went in to try to stop the bleeding."

"No wonder you've been hassling the emergency call centre. Was it made absolutely clear that it was critical that Emily deliver in a hospital this time to minimise the potential for a repeat of the past?"

Aaron smiled slightly as he took the baby Emily was suddenly easing into his hold as her features tightened. He gently stroked her cheek as she eased back against Carrie when the other woman moved back into place. "Our friend JJ placed that call; she was there when the girls were delivered and she remembered in great detail what happened. And she wasn't pulling punches when she started describing the incident.

"We can't move Emily at the moment for obvious reasons, but I'll drive her to the hospital myself once she has delivered our second son unless the ambulance has arrived by that time."

"I like that idea. We'll need to check the babies over as soon as possible and I'm sure that everyone will have peace of mind once Emily is cleared by a doctor."

They chorused agreement as Emily hissed. "It's time to push again."

They quickly moved back into position, listening intently to Jaymie as she gave them some instructions. Lydia took Micah to the door and handed him out to JJ, with instructions to change to a hotter towel and to monitor the baby's breathing closely. She then returned to Aaron's side with a fresh towel ready to go as Emily struggled to push her second child out into the world.

Out he came, just as silent as his brother, though he didn't stay that way for very long once he came into contact with the hot towel and Lydia's brisk rubbing. Aaron accepted his squirming son, checked that Emily wasn't bleeding in a way that was liable to give him nightmares and shifted on the bed to be close to her so she could hold their second son.

"I present to my lady James Everett Hotchner."

"Hi James, hi baby boy. Aaron..."

"I know," he agreed softly as her awe-filled voice petered out. "If you are up to it, we should get the three of you across to the hospital now. James' breathing sounds alright, but he's really jaundiced and I really think Micah will need a bit of help with his own breathing."

"There may also be other factors in play that you can't see on the surface. The sooner you get here the quicker we can check them over and make sure everything is alright with them."

There was a quick knock at the door and it opened. JJ poked her head in. "There's an ambulance here and ready to go when you are. And someone who wants to meet you."

She shifted out of the way and a young woman walked in to the room as she closed her phone...and their phone made a disconnected tone.

"Hello everyone, I'm Jaymie."

**End**

**A/N: So now we are all at the same place in the timeline and the next chappie will come back around to Dave and Teresa...so expect a bit more emotion and a few surprises still to come for everyone involved.**

**Stay tuned; U is for...**

**Please review with the conveniently placed link right under these words. I love to know what you think and it makes me type faster and update quicker. **


	21. U is for Unreasoned Emotion

**A/N: Right, so we are now back with Teresa and Dave, and time is running normally within this universe once again. Time to introduce you to baby Rossi! **

**So I was going back through my work to figure out when I started mentioning the reviews that were left for me for every piece and it seems like that didn't start happening until the last alphabet. It also appears to be around that same time that my authors notes got to be huge. I have given it some thought and from the next chapter onwards, I will be attempting to shorten things up without skimping on this incredibly important section.**

**I appreciate every single one of you. Those who leave me with reviews and those who just read. I also appreciate those of you who have marked my work for your favourites list or have simply indicated that you want to follow me as an author. Or any combination of the above. Thank you doesn't begin to cover it...that I am still writing is a testament to all of you for your encouragement and support.**

**Many thanks for wonderful reviews to Hazmatt, HGRHfan35 and Wtiger5.**

**Wtiger5 – Sister, what can I say that I haven't already? I love you and I am so thankful for your input that makes my work so much better than it is to start with. **

**WARNING: This chapter is rated M.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds at all, although they do own me and I do own Carrie, Mirkal and Toby, Chloe and India, Ben, Kelly, Brad, Josiah, Nicola and Danielle. **

Unreasoned Emotion

Teresa stared blankly up at the ceiling, passively watching the shifting shadows cast by the people walking past the door. She had told Dave she was tired, didn't want to talk anymore and that he should go home to get some rest because he looked terrible. When he insisted that he'd stay to watch over her, she'd grown so distressed at the thought of him staying that her doctor had arrived to gently but resolutely kick him out.

Yet now that she was alone she found she couldn't sleep, and all she really wanted was for Dave to return and hold her. The nurse who had come in to check on her an hour ago had assured her this kind of reaction was normal for a woman in her position, but whether she'd meant it to be comforting didn't really matter anymore.

_I'm not sure I'll ever feel comforted again. My whole life has been ripped apart, one of the most important pieces has been removed, and the whole thing put back together the wrong way. Why did this have to happen how, when Dave and I were just getting started? And how is it possible that he'd ever be able to forgive me for this?_

Emotion spilled over into heavy, wracking sobs that set fire to her abdomen, which only caused her crying to increase as the pain became unbearable. A nurse finally noticed the change in the monitors surrounding her and arrived to ask if she'd like something for the pain that would also help her sleep and she nodded eagerly, wanting nothing more than to be left utterly numb to the day she wished she hadn't lived through.

The nurse disappeared after patting her shoulder sympathetically, and her doctor returned to check on her sutures before the nurse administered the shot.

"Try to get some rest if you can," he advised gently as the world around her faded to gray and then went black.

New Section

"Dave, hi."

"Hey Em, Aaron. I was hoping you would both be awake so I could see how you were doing. I can come back later though if this is a bad time?"

Aaron shook his head and gestured him in. "You're always welcome, and news has been vague at best to how you and yours are doing."

He nodded tiredly and took the second chair beside his friend. "Are these your sons?"

Emily nodded, returning her focus to the baby she was attempting to feed. "This is James. He's the younger of the two and except for some jaundice and a weak sucking action in his mouth, he is so far doing alright. Aaron has Micah and the associated equipment."

"Is he alright?"

"He will be," Emily assured softly. "He's just needing a little help with his breathing and has yet to be fed the normal way. They've got a tube down to his little tummy delivering the necessary nutrients so that his breathing isn't compromised in any way. If you want to hold him, he's not breakable."

Dave shook his head tiredly. "Not right now. I really just came to assure myself that everything was alright despite my selfishness in keeping Brad close when you guys needed him."

Aaron raised an eyebrow. "Keep talking like that and I'll slap you one. Emily and I didn't understand at first, especially since Brad knew our circumstances and was fairly intimate with our fears for this delivery, but once we found out what had happened with Teresa, we completely understood and we coped with it. And though each of the boys has a few minor problems, their doctors predict that they will each make a full and speedy recovery. And on top of that, Emily is fine and will be coming home in a couple of days."

"I'm really glad to hear that. I was afraid..."

"Tell us what happened," Emily prompted gently. "All I know is what the girls passed on and what they know is spotty."

Dave smiled sadly. "I think I'm losing my wife."

"Tell us, please."

New Section

She clawed her way out of her drug-induced sleep and woke with a soft cry of anguish. Her dreams had been filled with children she could never reach, some she couldn't even see, but only hear. They had all been crying, pleading with her to love them and all she could do was cry helplessly as she slowly sunk in an ocean of tears.

"Shh cara mia, shh. It's alright."

"Dave..."

"Just breathe Teresa, that's the best thing you can do for yourself at the moment."

She took in several gasping breaths as her tears eased, comforted by Dave's rhythmic stroking of her hair and face.

"I'm sorry I kicked you out last night; I shouldn't have. I needed you so badly but you left because I told you to and then I wondered why I told you to because all I wanted was for you to come back and..."

"Teresa! Baby, stop. It doesn't matter because I'm here now. And if you need me to go later so you can catch your breath, I can do that too."

"That's just it Dave, I couldn't breathe properly with you here and I couldn't breathe properly after you left either. I know that sounds so unreasonable, but it just was...please don't leave me Dave. I'm sorry I kicked you out last night and I'm sorry I didn't want to know about the baby. It makes no sense, I know, just please don't leave me."

She was sobbing all over again, unable to articulate exactly what was going on in her head and in her heart. But Dave was Dave as he had always been and all he did was shift closer so he could better comfort and soothe her fears. She clung to that realisation as the panic eased.

"Dave. I want to...no, I _need_ to know about the baby, please." He hesitated long enough that the panic returned to grip her hard and squeeze tight enough she thought she might burst. "Dave, please..."

"Are you sure you're ready to know the truth?"

She swallowed hard and nodded as she whispered brokenly, "Did the baby die? Did I kill my baby?"

Leaning forward to place a tender kiss on her forehead, he set her back against the pillows and stood. "I'll be back in a minute love."

"Dave!"

The panic in her voice brought him straight back to her side, and she grabbed his wrist hard as he asked what was wrong.

"Tell me about the baby, please," she begged. "Did I kill it?"

"No, sweetheart." He gently detached her hand from his wrist and tenderly kissed the back of it. "I was going to show you instead of just telling you. I know the doctor warned me that it might be too soon to meet our child after hearing about what you'd lost, but that you asked is a positive sign. May I go? I'll be back in just a few minutes and you can see the truth for yourself."

She relaxed slightly and nodded, though her tension was clear to him as she withdrew her hand. He gave her an encouraging smile and slipped from the room, leaving her with the darkness of her thoughts.

She shifted her hand down to her abdomen as her eyes slipped closed in an attempt to keep fresh tears at bay. But she found it was no use stopping them from falling, so she let them fall.

_Dave knew, when he apologised yesterday and asked for a second chance with me, that this one child we had would be _all_ we'd have. He knew that I could now be considered barren but he still asked anyway. Surely he wouldn't have done that if this was a problem for him? Maybe he got his son after all..._

But even as she thought that, she dismissed it as foolish. She somehow doubted that it mattered to her husband anymore whether he had a son or a daughter, as long as everyone was healthy. She'd seen the pain on his face when he apologised, heard it deep under his words as he voiced his regret over his actions and she'd first heard his grief as he imparted the news of her surgery and then felt it in him as he cried with her. His sorrow had been just as drowning as her own. Even then, the depth of his need to comfort her had been huge.

_Don't kid yourself Reese; it's going to be the greatest battle of your life to let go of your dream of a large family. But at least you can console yourself with the fact that you won't be going through it alone. Because if he really didn't care, he had the entire time you were unconscious to run far away in the other direction and leave you to deal with this on your own._

_And don't forget your friends. No doubt they know this now and are already planning how they can best support and love you through this tunnel to the light on the other side._

_But you know the best part? At least there is a precious baby who will be all the better for your presence in their life. At least the dream wasn't entirely ripped away from you._

The use of her beloved grandmother's special nickname for her, combined with the realisation that the internal voice in her head sounded so much _like_ her grandmother almost made her cry harder, but the peace that washed over her coupled with the determination to be grateful for the gift of the one child she'd been blessed with eased the near-crippling pressure she'd felt in her heart from the moment she realised where Dave was leading in his explanation of her surgery.

_That's my girl Reese._

A noise at the door brought her eyes open to see Dave walk into the room empty-handed.

"Where...?"

"The nurse is right behind me. Are you alright?" He rolled his eyes and muttered, "Stupid question Dave."

"Actually..." she held out her hand to him and waited until he sat on the edge of her bed and took her hand in both of his before continuing, "I don't like having to let go of my dream for a big family, but I've decided to hold on to the blessings I've been given. I'll treasure our one son or our one daughter and I'll somehow allow that to be enough."

"Actually..." he drawled slowly in a mirror of the start of her speech, "How would you feel about treasuring our one son _and_ our one daughter?"

She stared at him in utter shock for a moment before whispering, "What?"

He chuckled softly and eased off the side of the bed as the nurse came in at what had clearly been a pre-arranged signal. She moved closer with a small wheeled bed, until Teresa could clearly see the _two_ babies cuddled up close to each other. Her eyes shot up to collide with Dave's in a clear demand for an answer.

"The surgeon found them in there together and pulled them out. Somehow it was completely missed on the scans, probably because the one always had its back to us; it was also a huge contributor to why the doctor could never give us a clear answer when we asked about the sex of our child."

"Are they alright?" she whispered, utterly entranced at the thought of seeing both their dreams come true at the same time.

"Our daughter is the smaller of the two, but is just as healthy as her brother. They had some breathing problems at the start due to all the blood in your womb, but their doctor is very pleased with them and believes we should be able to take them home in the next few days as long as nothing crops up from their premature birth."

"Okay," she whispered as the nurse cleared her throat and smiling at them stepped forward.

"Hi Teresa, I'm Suzie and I'm the nurse primarily looking after your children during the day. Because of this, I am also on hand in case you have any questions regarding their care both here in the hospital and for when you take them home. I have three children of my own also, so feel free to lob any questions regarding motherhood you like my way. Now, do you have ideas about names for your son and daughter?"

She looked at Dave and he gazed back steadily. "Teresa would be the best person to speak to about girl's names, because over the last few months she's been the wiser of the two of us and seriously entertained the idea of us having a girl when I got fixated on having the son."

Suzie looked at her intently and Teresa looked hopefully at the babies. "Could I hold my daughter?"

Suzie beamed a smile at her. "Absolutely." Moments later Teresa felt some of the pain of what she'd been through fade away in the wash of love she felt for the tiny baby filling her arms.

"Why is she so small?"

"Sometimes where twins are sharing a womb, the one is able to take in a greater supply of the nutrients available from the placenta and they just naturally grow to be stronger. Your daughter is the weaker of the two of them, but she is far from helpless. And the way her brother keeps trying to cuddle up to her tells us that he intends to do what he can is his own subconscious way to help her to not only survive, but to thrive as well. Her body temp is lower than we'd like, but his cuddling her provides her with a heat source our artificial devices can only replicate. Otherwise she is remarkably healthy for all her smaller size."

Teresa slowly nodded her head and gently stroked the soft skin of her child's cheek. "I've always wanted to call my first daughter Isabella, the second LeighAnn. But since I only get one shot at this, I'm going to name her Isabella LeighAnn; that is if Dave likes that name?"

She shot Dave a nervous look as she watched him think on the name, clearly rolling it around his tongue like he would a fine wine, before he murmured it softly, then again with more volume. Then he nodded decisively. "I love that name. Isabella LeighAnn it is."

Teresa felt like laughing and crying all at once, but forced herself back from that edge as she gazed at her son. "Dave? Do you have a name for _him_?"

Dave gazed down at his son with an adoring smile. "I do. There's a tradition in the family going way back that the first son and the first daughter have a middle name of the parent. I'm completely content with naming our daughter Isabella LeighAnn, but I'd like to continue that tradition with my son and name him Nathaniel David Rossi."

The tight feeling in her chest eased another fraction as she smiled. "I love that name. Could I hold him now instead?"

Dave eagerly reached for his daughter, and Teresa paused a moment to watch the utterly goofy expression that suddenly overcame Dave's face. He knew he was holding a girl, yet it was clear to her that Isabella had already well and truly wrapped her father around her little finger; David Rossi was in love with a pint-sized princess.

Feeling a smile blossom for the first time since she'd been told the devastating news of her hysterectomy, she turned to find Suzie patiently waiting for her to hold Nathaniel. She took her son and found that same connection with him that she'd already experienced with Isabella.

"I'm not sure what I feel is as strong as the emotions some of my friends have described when they first held their babies. Is that wrong?"

"Not at all Teresa. Some mothers just can't connect with their children at first, mostly due to trauma; such as what you've been through. So you should count yourself blessed to feel a connection at all, because it is not uncommon for a woman who has been through a hysterectomy while delivering a child to not want to have anything to do with the baby for days afterwards."

She swallowed and nodded jerkily. "So I shouldn't take it for granted that this moment will make everything okay," she stated softly.

"No you shouldn't, but you definitely aren't on your own either. I saw the size of the group of your friends in the waiting room yesterday. I've heard who will be counselling you while you're here in the hospital and even after you leave. And I've spoken with Dave, who clearly loves you so much. I won't lie and say it'll be easy; I've not been through this so I can't do more than sympathise and offer a shoulder to cry on if you need it, but I can assure you that you _will_ be alright. My best advice to you is to remember to cut yourself some slack, always look forward, never back and talk to each other about both the big things _and_ the little things.

"Now, I'm going to go and grab a coffee and put my feet up for about fifteen minutes. Take this time to do what you can to bond as a family. If you need me, I'm left out the door and the third room down on the right. If you get stuck, just ask one of the staff."

They stayed silent, neither needing to speak in this moment as they studied their children. Long minutes passed before Teresa finally asked the one question that was prevalent in her thoughts.

"Did you hold them before?"

"Briefly. I didn't want to be away from you for too long, but I felt I needed to meet my son and apologise to my daughter for being so opposed to her existence in my life. Only then I held her and I found I was lost as I realised she already looks just like you. And I started asking myself why it had seemed like such a bad idea for so long to break tradition. Then I just stopped thinking as she opened her eyes and looked up at me."

"I want that," she whispered.

He lifted his head and smiled gently at her. Then his hand came up and tenderly cupped her cheek. "Remember what Suzie said and cut yourself some slack. I have no doubt that one day soon you'll be holding one or the other and it will just suddenly hit you like a ton of bricks, your heart will be fully engaged, and you'll realise that there is never going to be a turning back point. The adventure of a lifetime is on Reese...are you with me in this?"

She tipped her head slightly to the side as her mind echoed with her grandmother's voice. "Why did you call me Reese just now? You never call me that."

Dave looked slightly embarrassed as he dropped his gaze. "I don't know why it was, but just now I was remembering how Marlene was always calling you that when she came for our wedding. I liked it back then, but it seemed like a personal thing; and yet so appropriate in this moment considering what we are discussing. I'm sorry if I stepped in something by using it."

She shook her head slightly. "Only two people in my life have ever called me that; my grandmother and Marlene. Grandma had been calling me that since before I can remember, as it was her special name for me. She had a special name for all her grandchildren. But because Marlene and I grew up together, she was always there when I was visiting and she just started calling me that too. Then Marlene gained a special name from Grandma, the only non-grandchild to ever gain one from her, and I started using it too. It just suddenly became like this super-secret clique thing just for the three of us."

"So I probably shouldn't use it?"

"I didn't say that. When you were off getting the children, I could hear Grandma talking to me in my head, telling me that things would eventually come right if I just kept pushing forward. She called me Reese then and I guess it was just so fresh that I called you on it. But I do like the name, and you are as special to me as Grandma still is, even in death, that if you want to start calling me Reese, you can. Just don't encourage anyone else to do so; I don't want to cheapen the memories I have, and gosh does that sound silly or what?"

"Not at all; you and your grandmother were incredibly close from what your family and friends were saying at the wedding. And I do remember the one time I got to meet her back when I first helped you turn your life around. She adored you and you clearly adored her. So I can understand keeping that name close like a keepsake. Are you sure it wouldn't bother you to hear me call you Reese? I wouldn't do it all the time, but when the situation calls for it..."

"I'd like that very much Dave." She looked back down at their son to find him looking up at her with such trust. Then he yawned hugely and snuggled in closer and she just suddenly understood.

"And to answer the question that set this conversation off, yes Dave, I'm in this adventure with you all the way."

He grinned at her as Suzie returned and they reluctantly handed their children to the nurse, who quietly promised to return with them for a visit later in the day before leaving the room. Dave waited until they were alone before shedding his shoes and jacket and climbing onto the bed with her.

"How're you feeling about all of this now? I mean, you've had two such huge shocks..."

She felt her smile fade as the happiness receded like a wave at the beach. "I still feel empty inside, but Nathaniel and Isabella make it worth the fight I've got ahead of me to claw my way back to a stable emotional state so that I can be the best mother I can be to them."

"Can you deal with the sorrow of knowing they are all you will ever carry within you?"

"Do you know, I wasn't completely convinced until I held them, but I think now that maybe I can. I'm not promising not to have dark moments where I absolutely loathe the situation, but I now believe that those moments will _always_ be overshadowed by the joy and blessings of what I _didn't_ miss out on."

"I'm glad," he stated softly as he gently eased her closer in to his warmth. "I know it may not be worth much, because I haven't modelled it very well lately, but I promise you that I will do my best to never be an ass ever again."

She snorted and slurred sleepily, "Don't make promises you can't keep Dave. You're Italian, meaning you'll always need training. But that's what I'm here for. Somehow, we'll figure it out together."

"Good," he whispered as she drifted off to sleep. _Cause I'd hate to have to figure that one out on my own._

**End**

**A/N: Okay I promise that things are going to settle down from here on out to the end of the alphabet. Everything after that is forfeit and I have plans that I had back in the beginning that won't be denied.**

**Stay tuned; V is for...**

**Please review with the conveniently placed link right under these words. I love to know what you think and it makes me type faster and update quicker. **


	22. V is for Voracious Appetites

**A/N: I just really want to apologise for my absence. RL got crazy for a while there, but is thankfully now winding down. So hopefully I should be able to get the entertainment rolling again.**

**Many, MANY thanks for wonderful reviews to HGRHfan35, NicknHotchfan, Hazmatt, and Wtiger5.**

**Wtiger5 – Sister might-as-well-have-been my twin ;) Even though you had to shoot down my main idea, you did it with such love and respect that I really didn't mind it and you're right; the chapter did turn out well. I'm glad you're there keeping me real. Love you honey.**

**WARNING: This chapter is rated a very fluffy K+ and is a two-parter; check the rating on W when you get there because the rating will be vastly different.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds at all, although they do own me. And the list of those I do own is getting so incredibly long that I am just going to say that I own anyone who does not come directly from Criminal Minds. **

Voracious Appetites

Part 1

"You look sad Cara Mia."

Teresa looked up from Nathaniel and shrugged her right shoulder just barely. Of her two children, Nathaniel was the easiest to distract from feeding, though tonight he was proving her wrong, as only his eyes sought his father out at the sound of his voice.

"I was just thinking about how I rejected him and his sister, sight unseen, when they were born. Sitting here now, I couldn't imagine life without them."

"That's great," Dave exclaimed happily as he settled onto the couch beside her. "But you still look sad."

"I'm just disappointed in myself. I have no doubt I'll get over it, hopefully before we get to the Hotchner's. Are we all ready to go?"

He gently cupped her shoulder above Nathaniel's small head. "Bella and I are simply waiting for the two of you."

She tsked softly. "Dave, you know I don't want their names shortened until they're old enough to decide for themselves if that is what they want. Why do you keep…" she stopped as she caught his sly grin and humphed. "You did that deliberately. Why?"

"Because it distracted you from your self-doubt. We've had enough sadness to last us a lifetime; lets just try and focus on the positive from now on."

She frowned at him, though it didn't last long as she saw the love he had for her. "Be very glad my hands are busy right now," she stated with mock-severity as she looked back down at Nathaniel to see if he was still feeding.

Dave chuckled. "Yes ma'am. Is it just me, or is he really hungry today?"

"It's not just you. He's been at it for a good five minutes longer than he normally feeds for. Maybe he's going through a growth spurt?"

"Possibly. It'd be about time anyway."

She nodded agreement. Nathaniel and Isabella were now six weeks old, and had been home from the hospital for just under five weeks. The extra days they'd spent in the hospital had been a blessing for Dave as he scrambled to get a second set of everything they needed and rearrange the nursery in between his visits to his wife and children at the hospital. Nonetheless, he had pulled it off with help from the entire team and their significant others, with the ladies going shopping for a whole lot more clothing and supplies while the guys leant their strength in putting together and moving the furniture required.

Her anxiety over going home when she still wasn't entirely convinced she loved her children unconditionally had melted away when she arrived home to find all of her friends waiting for her. They'd stayed throughout the day, providing help, advice and support, easing her way to the evening, where she'd fallen into bed and a deep sleep until Dave woke her to feed their son. The doubts had come back, though their edge wasn't quite as sharp and the next day, Emily had arrived shortly after breakfast with Aaron in tow. The guys had disappeared, and she'd received hours of one-on-one time with a woman whose advice was trusted and whose friendship meant the world to her.

The next day she'd woken with the fears still lingering, she'd debated for hours whether or not she should trouble Emily with the question of how long they would last. Finally deciding to make the call had reassured her that she wasn't alone. Emily also reminded her that the only way to lose the fear was to just throw herself onto the whims of motherhood and do her best every day. Deciding it was worth trying, she slowly started settling into a rhythm with Dave and the children and one day last week, she had been both surprised and pleased to realise that not only had the fear disappeared, but she had somewhere in the intervening weeks fallen head over heels in love with her children.

And they were all thriving. Dave was ecstatic with both children, though Isabella had him well and truly wrapped around her little finger. She was confident of her abilities as a mother who loved her children, and her children were growing. Though Isabella was still noticeably smaller than her brother, their paediatrician was happy with their growth.

Today they were going out on their first outing together as a family. Emily and Aaron were finally getting around to throwing Chloe and India their first birthday party, after Emily's recovery had been hampered by a strange infection that had lingered for several weeks and left her feeling sick and exhausted. It still blew her away to think that she hadn't even known the other woman was so seriously sick when she'd given so selflessly of her time all those weeks ago. But now that they were all well, the party was on while the early autumn weather was still fine enough for a barbeque and pool party and she couldn't wait to see if she had what it took to continue parenting with confidence outside of the four walls of her home.

She smiled slightly as Nathaniel finally decided he'd had enough and handed him to his father, who looked with longing at her exposed breast before she did herself back up. She knew what he wanted, though he wouldn't get _that_ because she wasn't sure she could handle him at the same place the babies were every few hours or so, but since her doctor had cleared her medically, she was definitely planning to let him know that everywhere else was definitely again on offer to him if he wanted it.

And she knew he did.

She stood and smiled. "I'll just visit the bathroom and then we can go. Do I need to rescue the salad from the fridge?"

"Yes please Cara Mia."

Dave watched his wife walk out of the room and sighed softly. "I wonder if mummy knows how much daddy misses her," he whispered as he lifted the baby to place a tender kiss on his forehead. "I mean, she's always here, which is great, but I miss being _with_ her, and no bambino mine, I will _not_ explain that to you. Not yet."

"Ready?"

He looked up and grinned. "That's funny since I was in your shoes five minutes ago."

She smiled happily at him and held out her arms for Nathaniel. "I thought you were rescuing the salad."

Her impish grin had him groaning internally as he ordered his body to calm down. "I changed my mind. Am I not allowed to do that?"

"That's a dangerous question woman, one I refuse to answer on the grounds that I want to sleep in my own bed tonight."

"That's a great answer my love. Shall we go?"

"Darn straight it is," he muttered as he collected the salad and they left the house.

New Section

"You know, I figured a first birthday party wouldn't be all that exciting, since Ben was sick for most of his after he crawled into the pantry that day and ate the dog food from the bag until he was puking, but this is actually a lot of fun."

"Especially considering we don't have a dog right?" Emily teased with a laugh as Teresa giggled beside her.

"That is a definite plus. Though are you thinking about it? A yard this size is just screaming for a dog," Morgan stated as Aaron walked up.

"Morgan, if you even think about putting that idea in the heads of either my son, or Carrie's, I'm sure I won't be the only one there when we skin you alive. Oh, and where is Ben by the way?"

Morgan frowned, before turning away and hurrying over to where the rest of the ladies were supervising the babies in their playpen under the huge tree down the back. The guys were in the pool with the boys with the exceptions of Aaron and Dave, as they were in charge of the barbeque.

"Ben's fine right?"

Aaron just grinned at his wife, who grinned back and kissed him happily when he leaned down to her before she turned back to the baby in her arms as he wandered back to Dave via the action in the pool.

Teresa shared a smile with her. "I love feeling good enough about myself again to start teasing people."

"Have you started with Dave?"

"Mmm, just this morning. I'm pretty certain I made him very happy, despite the fact that I'm driving him mad with wanting."

"Didn't your doctor clear you yesterday?"

"He did, but the babies were cranky and we were just so exhausted when we fell in bed that we were asleep straight away. Dave knows that my check up should be around this time, but I managed to hide it in amongst the grocery shopping and a couple of other errands."

"Ooh, sneaky. Are you hoping to make good on it tonight?"

She just smiled in reply and Emily laughed happily as she hugged her around the shoulders. "That's just wonderful. Is there anything I can do to help you, or are you doing alright?"

Teresa knew the offer was a blanket over every aspect of her life, but was happy she could smile and answer in the negative.

"Do you know, I believe for the first time in six weeks that I'm back to normal, or at least the new normal you get when kids enter your life for the first time. Dave and I have fully worked out all of our differences and arguments and are back on the same page about everything. The children are healthy, beginning to grow like weeds which is apparently wonderful on everything except the budget, and I love them all more than life."

Emily laughed. "That's just wonderful news. So now all you need is their sleepy cooperation in snoozing the night away so you can made good on some hot nooky."

"Oh, I totally like how you put that. I might use it tonight."

"Feel free to. I fully intend to enter into the conversation in that way tonight when I approach Aaron. He's expecting me and has ordered me out of the bedroom for an hour before we turn in so he can surprise me, but I can still pull a trick or two out of my hat."

"Good for you."

"Good for _us_."

New Section

"How much food did we go through exactly?"

Emily turned a smile on Aaron from where she sat beside the table, feet up on another chair as she fed James.

"I'm pretty certain we went through a weeks worth of food in just one afternoon," Carrie answered as walked in with the last of the dishes from the table outside. "Have you looked in the pantry or the fridge yet?"

"Do I want to?"

"Probably not. But when you think about it, we fed sixteen adults and eight children across a nearly five hour span. If Penelope hadn't brought food for Gwendolyn, it would have been nine children. Of the twenty-four mentioned, twelve of them were male and three of the them standing under 5 feet tall have bottomless pits for stomachs with voracious appetites. If you're surprised by how much food was consumed today, then I'm surprised at you."

"You make a good case for it," Aaron replied with a grin as they started working in tandem to put dishes away and wash those that were empty. Now that everyone had gone home, the clean up had begun while Mirkal watched the kids old enough to play with the toys they'd received that day. For even though the birthday girls were supposed to be the only ones to receive gifts, Aaron and Emily had decided the year previous at Jack's first birthday with the girls in the family that _all_ their children would get a gift on someone's birthday, just not as many gifts as the birthday boy or girl. And this year that had included Toby so that he wouldn't feel left out.

Aaron grinned at his wife. "Thanks for insisting on plastic plates and cutlery; being able to throw them out will cut down on the cleaning in a major way."

"I didn't actually think about the washing up. My only thoughts were on the complaints I'd get from the children if we handed plastic to them while we were using the good stuff and the cost of replacing anything that was broken when dropped. It was sheer self-preservation going on there."

Aaron and Carrie laughed as she stood with James and walked carefully out of the room, trying not to distract him further from his feeding than the noise already had. She hesitated at the bottom of the stairs as a burst of loud noise came from the upstairs play area. Knowing that the den would probably be the quietest area of the house at the moment and that Mirkal would see to Micah if the freshly fed and changed baby woke, she turned in that direction.

"You'll want for very little growing up you know," she said softly as she settled comfortably on the couch. "We'll make sure you don't become selfish or vain, but otherwise the sky is your limit and even then we probably won't stop you if you want to go further."

She allowed herself time to sink into the blazing love she felt for the child in her arms, startled anew at how powerful that love felt. As her love for James led her to thinking on his twin and then on the rest of her family, she gave thanks for the gifts she'd been blessed with despite all the mistakes she'd made in her life. Then James recalled her to the activity at hand by deciding he was full and she noticed as she lifted him to her shoulder that the time for putting everyone to bed and retiring to reconnect with her beloved husband was imminent.

She blushed slightly as she thought of the night to come, and the heated smiles Aaron had sent her way throughout the long day. Humming contentedly as stood, she left the den to get the night started by putting all the little people to bed.

**End**

**A/N: Again, apologies for the time it took to get this one out. You'll be happy to know that W and Y should be out in a fairly short space of time, as a reward for your patience.**

**Stay tuned; W is for...**

**Reviews are love and encouragement for faster typing and updates, and with the conveniently placed box right under these words they are easier than ever to leave. You don't even need to sign in, though I'd love to be able to thank you for your kinds words. **


	23. W is for We Are Family

**A/N: This is the companion piece to V is for Voracious Appetites. I hope you enjoy it.**

**Many, MANY thanks for wonderful reviews to Wtiger5, Daisyangel, HGRHfan35 and Hazmatt.**

**Wtiger5 – What can I say that I haven't already? From that first review you left to now, life has been an amazing journey and I am so glad that you are in for the ride with me. Love you lots sweetie.**

**WARNING: This chapter is rated M with a touch of hot mixed in with the sweet…proceed at your own discretion.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds at all, although they do own me. And the list of those I do own is getting so incredibly long that I am just going to say that I own anyone who does not come directly from Criminal Minds.**

We Are Family

Part 2

"How much did he eat exactly?" Jordan whispered to Derek as her husband gently settled Ben in the cot that was getting a little too small for his growing body.

"I think I caught him with food every time I turned around to see him."

"His tummy reminds me of the little Buddha statues. I feel like rubbing it for luck."

Derek chided gently as they eased quietly out of the room, "You know that goes against our faith."

"I know, but he has a fat little tummy tonight that was exposed when his sleep top rode up; I just couldn't resist making the comment."

He chuckled softly as they started undressing for the night. "I think we should take him to the park so he can run it off tomorrow."

"Won't work babe. You know he'll just come home and complain he's hungry."

Derek turned to face her and grinned. "Something to worry about tomorrow then." He looked her over and wiggled his eyebrows. "Want to come play with me tonight?"

She scanned his naked body with frank appreciation of his male physique before looking down at her own equally naked body. "Can we do away with the condoms tonight?"

His smile turned heated and he lifted his hand toward her. "Come here gorgeous."

She ran to him and leapt, trusting him to catch her as her feet left the ground. They tumbled back on the bed and she smiled at him hungrily before marrying their mouths with a growl and a moan.

New Section

"You look pleased as punch. Care to share?"

Austin looked up and stopped in her tracks. Spencer lay on top of the covers, completely naked, with his hands behind his head in a casual pose and his upper body resting against a mound of pillows. And because they'd forgotten several times in the heat of their passion over the last month, he already wore a condom on the erection he had just from thinking about her.

After standing there speechless for almost a minute, Spencer repeated her name and she jumped slightly, her cheeks flushing at the direction of her thoughts.

"What was the question again?" she asked breathlessly.

"You looked pleased when you walked into the room, even before you spotted me waiting for you here. I just wondered what you were thinking about?"

"Oh, um, yes…well, Mackenzie is currently snoring her little head off, which tells me that she will most likely sleep through to morning. So we could, uh, you know…" she finished with a blush and a shy smile, completely undone by the fact that she wasn't the one initiating the coming encounter. Ever since they'd met, she'd been the one to do the chasing, the shy genius being almost completely oblivious to her advances until the day she practically shouted she was in love with him before hauling him in for a kiss. Once he recovered from very nearly passing out at the knowledge, he had reciprocated the sentiment. But except for telling her that he loved her frequently enough to keep her happy, he rarely initiated things of a sexual nature, preferring not to make her feel pressured to do something she might not want to at that moment.

So for him to be lying there so blatantly ready for her to join him in bed left her barely able to think as she slipped out of her dress to reveal she'd already done away with her underwear in preparation for her planned seduction. In fact, her plans had just been tossed out the window with the realisation that Spencer was in charge for once. As her brain kicked back into gear with her step up onto the end of the bed, she felt excited to let him lead for once.

She walked forward, her feet on either side of her husband's body, and when she judged the distance to be accurate, she let her body drop. Now straddling Spencer's body at his lean waist, she leaned forward and said with a sultry smile, "So I have a question for you, Doctor Reid."

"A question is it?" he teased in return. "Go ahead Mrs. Reid."

She licked her lips, delighting in the sound of her married name. "Tell me Doctor Reid, when is a good time to add to the family?"

She watched his momentary incomprehension, followed by his deep blush as he caught on to her meaning before his eyes glazed slightly and he chewed at his lip in thought before a light of love and passion in equal measure nearly brought her to tears.

"Well Mrs. Reid, they say that the minimum time a woman should wait after having her baby is six months. But in all fairness to your body, they say that one to two years in spacing is actually better for you. It gives your body time to…"

She shut him up with a kiss, deciding that she'd teased him enough. Spencer adored their daughter, and after two and a half months of life with her, he no longer went pale just at the thought of touching her in case she broke. But she figured she might have trouble on her hands when it came time to discuss having another baby, remembering his fear for her after her near death experience at the hands of a bunch of madmen. So she shelved that discussion for another day in favour of far more pleasant activities.

He surged up under her, meeting her eagerly as he tangled his hands in her hair and settled her body fully on his as she encouraged him with an eager moan.

New Section

"You look beat cupcake. Is Gwennie still fighting her sleep time?"

Penelope collapsed across the foot of the bed with a groan as she thought about her beloved daughter and how close she was to the end of her patience with the precious child. "I don't know where she learnt to do that, but if I find out someone taught her, I will kill their hard drive one bite at a time while I expose the inner workings of their personal lives to the world."

Kevin frowned at the slurred quality of his wife's voice, hearing her exhaustion. "Did you express some milk today at all?"

"Yes."

"Is there any left?"

"Enough for two bottles, why?"

"You are sleeping tonight while I get up to her. And you're sleeping in tomorrow as well."

"I can't let…"

"You have no choice in the matter cupcake. She should hopefully sleep through after missing her nap for the excitement of the day, so I should be right to handle things without you until mid-morning. Now, come up here and give me a cuddle while I tell you a story."

She groaned heavily. "That would require energy I seriously don't have."

He set aside his book and his glasses and helped her up, giving her a hug as she slumped in his arms.

"Why did we have a baby?"

"Because we weren't a family without a child in our lives."

"Well I'm not so sure she seems like such a good idea anymore. Can we take her back?"

"That's just your exhaustion talking honey. If I remind you of this conversation after you've had an uninterrupted sleep tonight, I have no doubt you'll glare at me for even suggesting that we hand her off to someone else. So I'm telling you I love and adore every luscious curve of you from the top of your head to your gorgeous little toes, but I am taking everything you say tonight with a huge pinch of salt."

She humphed her displeasure that he didn't just agree with her and muttered something he chose to ignore as he gently led her to the bed. Turning down the covers for her, he turned to find her eyes closed while she swayed alarmingly on her feet. His resolve to let her sleep uninterrupted increased as he tucked her in to bed and watched with tender amusement as she immediately started snoring softly.

Picking up the baby monitor she'd brought into the room with her, he walked out and pulled the door lightly closed before stepping into the next room, grateful now that they had moved into his apartment once they were married instead of staying in hers. Because as much as he'd loved her little place that just screamed about her amazing personality, one bedroom was definitely not enough for the three of them. It was only slightly bigger than her old place, with just two smallish bedrooms, but at least it had given them the opportunity to have a nursery. Otherwise he wouldn't have had a hope of getting to the baby quickly enough to keep Penelope asleep once Gwendolyn started crying.

Seeing that she was deeply asleep, he settled silently into the rocking chair and made himself comfortable. He wouldn't sleep the greatest in the chair, despite how comfortable it was, but at least Penelope would sleep and tonight, that was the main thing.

New Section

"How did we do?"

"Henry was out for the count by the end of the first page."

"Alexander fought a little longer but is now snoozin' happily and should sleep for a good few hours considerin' how full his little tummy is."

JJ and Will exchanged happy grins and moved into the bedroom to get ready for bed. Within minutes they were snuggled up to each other face to face, exchanging the first of many lazy kisses. They had been discussing for several days how likely it would be that the boys would be so tired they probably wouldn't wake up at all during the night after the length of the day they'd just had. This would allow the two of them their first uninterrupted time together since Alexander was born considering Henry woke whenever his little brother did, worried that something was wrong. And then JJ had discovered that their planned hot little sortie would have to wait another few days until her period was over.

But that didn't stop them from affirming their love for each other in other ways while their sons slept on blissfully unaware of the love their parents shared.

New Section

"Two down, one to go," Brad murmured to Kelly as they walked across the dimly lit bedroom away from their snoozing two year old.

Kelly rolled her eyes as she settled onto the edge of Danielle's bed and gently removed the book from her hands as her eyes fluttered sleepily.

"Kelly? Do I hafta go to sleep now?"

"Yeah sweetie. It's way past your bedtime and you want to have energy for the beach tomorrow right?"

"Yeah, okay." She allowed Kelly to settle her securely under the covers with her teddy of the night. Having found out about a collection of bears that the girl had always dreamed of having, Kelly had bought her first bear for her homecoming from the hospital, and had bought one a week since then. Her aim was to get twenty teddies; this was the number Danielle had suggested would make a good collection when questioned. So far she had ten.

"Kelly? Can I ask you something?"

"Sure honey, but keep it quick okay? You really need your sleep."

Danielle nodded and yawned hugely, and Kelly smiled softly as her heart melted just a little more.

"Mummy and Daddy aren't ever coming back, are they?"

Kelly felt her warmth melting away, and tried not to show her hurt feelings where this too-perceptive child of hers might see them. After all, just because she loved all three of her children without thinking constantly of where they had come from didn't mean the children were in the same place.

"No sweetheart, your Mummy and your Daddy will never be coming back. They're in heaven now."

She nodded slowly and clenched her bear tightly to her chest as she looked up at Kelly with eyes that were swimming with tears. "Kelly, does that make you my Mummy now?"

_Breathe Kelly, breathe!_

"That does sweetheart, though you don't have to call me Mummy if you don't want to. I still love you all the time and I will always be here for you, even when I have to go back to work, because you can always call me if you need me."

"Oh, okay," she said in a small voice.

Listening to Danielle's tone of voice, and the little voice that piped up in the back of her head, Kelly asked cautiously, "Do you _want_ to call me Mummy?"

Danielle bit her lip and nodded slowly. "Do you think Mummy and Daddy would mind if I was happy here and I had a new Mummy and Daddy?"

Kelly found that she was unable to answer her child's question as she began to cry. She was immensely grateful for Brad's presence at her side as he knelt down to be closer to the conversation that had been slowly turning his heart upside down.

"Danielle, now that you're my daughter, which makes me a father for the first time, I have started to understand how very much a parent can love their child. And part of that love means wanting them to be happy even if they can't be with them. So I imagine that even though your parents are sad to be away from you, Nicola and Josiah, I also think that they are very happy that you are loved so very much by us and that they would want all of you to be happy. Josiah will only ever know us as his parents, but you and Nicola can choose whether or not you want us to be Mummy and Daddy, or Kelly and Brad. Either names are great with both of us as long as you understand that we love you very much."

Danielle started crying too and held out her arms for a hug that Kelly willingly pulled her into, holding her tight as the child finally cried out her grief for the life she'd lost and the parents she'd never see again. Brad wrapped his arms around them both and rocked them gently until the crying eased, ignoring his own tears in favour of offering what comfort he could. Then they both tucked Danielle back in and made sure her bear was in reach.

Kelly regained her composure as she placed a gentle kiss on Danielle's temple. "I love you sweetheart, always and forever, no matter what you call me."

Danielle's smile was sweet and shy in equal measure as she replied, "I love you too Mummy, always and forever, no matter what."

Kelly sent her a beaming smile and then stepped back so Brad could exchange his own goodnights with his eldest daughter. They managed to maintain their cool until they reached their room and then they started crying and laughing softly together in their happiness.

"Never in a million years would I have expected her to grow so comfortable with us so fast," Brad stated breathlessly.

"I know right? I figured it would be months more than this. It just proves yet again how truly resilient children are in the face of seemingly overwhelming tragedy."

They stopped laughing as their eyes caught on each other and a desire to celebrate flared along with a raging heat that had them stepping in to each other.

New Section

Teresa crept out of the nursery and pulled the door shut, praying as she did that Isabella and Nathaniel would be kind to her tonight and would sleep for at least a couple of hours…enough time for her to tell Dave her secret and get him to do something about the intense itch she felt.

Slipping into the bedroom, she found Dave already in bed with a book. Bypassing the bed, she went into the bathroom, taking the few minutes for her nightly routine to calm her excited nerves. When she was certain she could contain her glee over what was to come enough to actually walk without skipping, she walked out into the bedroom and sat down on the covers beside her husband and started watching him read.

It only took him a minute to realise what she was doing and mark his page before pulling off his glasses.

"Can I help you with something?"

"Actually, yes you can. You see, I have this itch that I need to get scratched and I just can't make it go away on my own."

The very real aspect of just how smart her husband was hit her as his eyes lit up and he asked, "Does this itch include a trip to the doctor's office the other day to find out how to cure it?"

She nodded slowly as a smile grew on her face and she watched Dave move his book and glasses to a safe place out of the way before he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her. Eager for his touch in other places, she shifted to straddle his lap, a momentary twinge of pain in her lower abdomen lost in the inferno growing in her core.

"Make love to me," she demanded softly as she pressed up tightly against him despite the blankets and clothing separating them.

"Yes ma'am," he laughed breathlessly as he slid his hands to the bottom of her top and pulled it up over her head. They were naked and stretched out on the bed in less than a minute, their eagerness for the touch of the other getting them over Teresa's discomfort with her scars and post-baby body.

His hands worked their magic with her breasts while his mouth tangled with hers before his feathered a series of kisses down her neck. It took her a few seconds to figure out where he was heading but when it dawned on her that she'd neglected to lay down her one ground rule, she slid her hand into his hair and yanked up, the only way she could think of to get his attention. Of course, realising that the downward journey of his hand had also stopped wasn't quite as pleasant, but she figured he'd get back to that soon enough.

She watched the glaze in his eyes fade as she waited for his full attention.

"As much as you love my breasts and I _love_ that you love my breasts, I don't feel comfortable with the idea of you being at a place where the children are on a regular basis. I'm sorry for that, but I just don't think I could cope with that right now."

"Message received and understood. But if that is the case…" he shot her a wicked grin as his voice tapered off and he bypassed her chest altogether in favour of places much further south.

She voiced a moan of pleasure as his lips settled on her very inner thigh, then giggled a moment later to realise he was leaving her with a very intimate hickey. But the giggle disappeared in a cry that was mostly desire and slightly pain-filled as her body registered another sharp twinge when his mouth moved to the juncture of her spread legs and settled there with the same sucking motion that normally brought her right up and over the edge. And while that night was no different, and in fact happened so much faster due to their recent abstinence, she was left with a lingering doubt as to her ability to continue as the sharp twinge became an actual ache while he climbed up her body in preparation for sliding into her heat.

But before she could voice that pain, he kissed her with the taste of her body on his lips and she lost all ability to think things through as her excitement over being with him again wiped out all common sense. Then before she could stop him again to ask for a moment, he surged into her without thinking on how long it had been since they'd been together, his only goal to push through any resistance and then to give them a moment to become reacquainted with their togetherness before they continued.

The pain was so excruciating she honestly thought she might pass out on the spot. Her mouth shot back from his and she screamed in pain as tears immediately sprang forth. He pulled out of her immediately as he demanded to know what was wrong, but all she could manage was to sob heavily as she curled onto her side around the middle of her body.

She felt his hand shaking as it settled on her shoulder, but he was cut short in pressing for information as the babies cried their displeasure over the loud noise. She knew he was shaken by her pain, probably anguished that he'd caused it, but he left her still to see to his children's needs and for that she was grateful as the pain in her abdomen slowly began to subside, leaving painfully sharp twinges recurring frequently in its wake.

She wasn't aware of how long he was gone, but when he returned, he had pulled on sweatpants and was carrying a glass of water in one hand and something for her pain in the other. Moving cautiously against the pain, she shifted up into a reclining position against the pillows and gratefully accepted his offerings. When she was done with the glass, she handed it back and allowed him to help her into one of his shirts before she shifted down to lie again on her side.

He joined her a moment later, pulling the covers up and over them as he rested his head on the pillow next to hers. His fingers were gentle as he wiped her residual tears away and stroked through her hair.

"Talk to me Reese; what happened just now?"

Swallowing hard as her eyes fluttered shut, she shrugged carefully. "I don't honestly know. I felt a slight twinge early on that disappeared pretty quickly, and then a sharper one when my back arched when I came the first time. I was thinking I should say something about it when you kissed me, which you know always turns me on when I can taste myself on you and know where you were just moments before. Then you were in me and it felt like someone had taken a poker out of the fire and shoved it straight up the centre of my body. I wanted to pass out and be sick all at once and if you'd continued I think I would have. I just don't know why. My doctor said yesterday that we could resume making love and didn't mention finding anything wrong with me."

"Would you mind if I called Brad and asked him about it?"

"He isn't going to know anything Dave; it isn't his specialty, and I'd honestly rather speak to Emily to see if she knows something."

Dave leaned forward and tenderly kissed her forehead as he rescued his phone from the opposite side table. "Emily it is."

New Section

Emily listened intently to Teresa's soft words, hearing the pain and embarrassment in her voice as she haltingly explained what had happened and asked if this was something her doctor should have mentioned. She forgot that she was standing out in the hall dressed in a robe and lingerie as she waited for Aaron to finish getting everything set up to his satisfaction in the bedroom behind her; her mother's heart wanted to dump the night ahead and rush to her friends' side to offer comfort.

"Your doctor definitely should have mentioned that while six weeks is the benchmark for resuming sexual activities, resuming those activities this early after such a traumatic birth could potentially cause excruciating pain. I was told that it might actually be better to wait til the eight week mark to try after I had the girls, but that we were welcome to try now if we wanted to. I was lucky enough that there was only a residual ache that lasted another week or so, but it sounds like you weren't so lucky. You can go back to your doctor again if you like, but I would just wait another few weeks, take it slowly and listen to your body. And knowing Dave as well as I do, I have no doubt he won't have a problem with this because he's probably there trying not to cry over the pain he caused you."

"Okay, I'll share that with him and we'll see how we go. Is it worth making a complaint do you think?"

"I'm not sure you could stop Dave now that you've mentioned it. I suppose it depends on whether you would have acted differently if you _had_ been warned."

"I admit I probably still would have tried it because I was missing being with Dave in that way, but if he had known, I have no doubt he would have insisted on waiting. I might mention it to my doctor, see what his response is and then take it further dependent on that."

Emily murmured agreement and wished them a good night before hanging up. Strong arms wrapped around her waist from behind and she smiled as she sank back in to them.

"Everything alright kitten?"

"Nothing Teresa and Dave can't work out between them." She tipped her head back and shot him a sultry smile. "Are you all ready for me?"

"Seeing you in that robe that just barely covers your delectable ass, even if I wasn't ready I would be very tempted to lie and call you in early. Thankfully though, I just finished and all I need is my gorgeous leading lady."

"Well then, lead on sir."

"You need to close your eyes though, and don't open them until I tell you to."

"Can I have a kiss first?"

"Nope. I'm saving up the kisses for the bedroom."

"Well in that case, my eyes are now closed so you should hurry up and lead me there."

He laughed at her softly and walked them forward without removing his arms. She smiled as she went, eager to reach her destination so that she could see what all the hype was about and get the promised kisses she now realised had been missing all day. Anticipation grew as he brought her to a stop with a soft admonishment to keep her eyes closed a bit longer. She felt him let her go, but only knew he'd moved away by the air that drifted around her bare legs. Not knowing how long she stood there left her getting slightly impatient, but she squashed it as she remembered his excitement over his surprise for her. As she stood still with her eyes closed, her sense of smell engaged and she started picking up scents of vanilla and roses.

After an undefinable length of time, he said softly, "You can open your eyes now my love."

Thinking the first thing she would see was him, she opened her eyes eagerly and gasped at what she saw. She stood in a love heart outlined in candles that wafted the gentle vanilla scent throughout the room. Looking behind her, she saw the way from the door was also outlined, as was the way to the side of the bed that she was clearly to get in on. Other candles were scattered around the floor on small black mats to catch the dripping wax, as well as on various surfaces around the room. And scattered everywhere around the room were more rose petals than she'd ever seen in one place.

"Oh, oh wow. This is…I don't know what to say." She lifted her eyes from her inspection of the room. "Why?"

He walked from where he stood at the end of the path near the bed and stepped into the heart to stand before her.

"Why? You are hands down _the very best gift_ I have ever been given and tonight I want to show you how very much I love and adore you. Because you are worth so much more than all of this and I want to show you that. And I want you to _feel_ how much I treasure you as I love you because my words never come out like what this feels like in my heart. But somehow by my actions tonight, I hope you will come to know the truth of this for me and one day if we're lucky, I'll be able to write the flowery speech that you definitely deserve."

She lifted her hands to wipe tears from her face, but since it didn't feel like she was going to stop crying anytime soon, she changed their direction at the last moment to settle both of them over his heart.

"I don't need the speeches Aaron, flowery or otherwise. I never did. Because somehow with me you are an open book and you _allow_ me to see right to the very depths of you. So I _know_ how very loved I am by you. I _know_ what you're thinking and feeling before you ever say anything and even when you do say nothing, I still know that it's there. So all I really need is you."

Deciding that it was okay to be relieved that his beloved wife didn't require any more of the deep conversation he had rehearsed, he closed the gap between them and started to show her as clearly as he knew how everything he had promised to be true.

New Section

"Did you tell them?" Mirkal asked as Carrie eased their door shut.

She shook her head as she shed her clothing. "Emily was out there dressed as the seductress, which reminded me that Aaron was intending to surprise her tonight and they neither of them wanted to be disturbed."

"Oh yes, I remember now. Well, I suppose another day isn't going to hurt anything."

Carrie snorted. "You don't think they might start to notice the changes in my body?"

He grinned. "Just because I am happy to stare at you 24/7 because you are hands down _the_ most beautiful thing on my horizon, doesn't mean that they stare at you even half as much. Considering Toby and Jack hug you where they do, they would be more likely to figure it out first."

She turned her back to the bed and fell until she was looking up at him, her hands on the gentle swell of her growing belly. She laughed softly.

"I just can't believe that this happened so fast and yet we just didn't notice until now."

His smile filled with desire. "That would be because we're too wrapped up in each other."

She swatted at his arm. "There isn't any such thing as being _too_ wrapped up in each other. We're _just enough_ wrapped up." She shot him a mock-ferocious glare and he raised his hands in laughing surrender before he leaned in and stole the first kiss.

"So we'll sit them down and tell them tomorrow right?" he persisted as he lifted his lips from hers. She nodded hurriedly and eagerly pulled him back down to her.

New Section

"Jack, you still awake?"

"Yeah. What's up?"

"I think mama's having a baby."

Jack popped upright on his bed and turned on his torch, knowing the light wouldn't be noticeable whereas the lamp would have been.

"Why do you think that?"

"Cause Mirkal's holding her now much like your daddy held your mama while she was pregnant with the boys. And he used to hold her around the shoulders before."

Jack frowned as he thought about the behaviour of his nanny and her new husband and then he started smiling slowly. "That's cool though right?"

Toby bit his lip. "You don't think she'll stop loving me right?"

Jack scrambled out of his bed and scampered across to the bed of his best-friend-who-might-as-well-be-his-brother, offering a hug of reassurance.

"She didn't stop loving you when she married Mirkal right? And you did in fact gain someone else who loved you a whole lot. So I don't think that would change just because you're getting a little brother or sister. I mean, look at me; mama gave me two brothers and two sisters in under two years and she still loves me _so_ much."

"That's true. I suppose it would be alright." The more he thought about it, the more Toby liked the idea of being a big brother just like Jack was and soon they were both grinning at each other. Then his grin faded. "Jack?"

Jack paused in the process of getting off the bed to return to his own and looked back as Toby whispered, "When you started calling Emily 'mama', did it change anything?"

Jack frowned again as he thought back to that Christmas. "I don't think so. I mean, I already knew that she loved me and that didn't change. She started crying when I told that was what I wanted, but nothing else happened." Putting two and two together, he asked softly, "Are you thinking of calling Mirkal _daddy_?"

Toby nodded. "But I don't know if he loves me as much as Emily loves you."

"Maybe you should ask him to tell you how much he loves you."

"Maybe."

Jack bestowed another hug on his best friend, before walking back to his bed. He climbed under the covers and turned off the torch.

"Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks Jack. I love you."

"I love you too Toby."

**End**

**A/N: You will be pleased to know that, after the last alphabet that provided the word actually starting with X that I forgot to provide a description of, the coming X word won't need any descriptions whatsoever, and should be easily understood as the chapter unfolds.**

**Stay tuned; X is for...**

**Reviews are love and encouragement for faster typing and updates, and with the conveniently placed box right under these words they are easier than ever to leave. You don't even need to sign in, though I'd love to be able to thank you for your kind words. **


	24. X is for Xylophones

**A/N: This piece is going to be fairly short and sweet, and follows on from V and W both…hope you enjoy it!**

**Many, MANY thanks for wonderful reviews to Wtiger5, Hazmatt and HGRHfan35.**

**Wtiger5 – You're right sweetie…what can I possibly say that I haven't already? So simply, you are amazing! Love you lots.**

**WARNING: This chapter is rated K+ for a bit of really funny and a lot of really sweet. **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds at all, although they do own me. And the list of those I do own is getting so incredibly long that I am just going to say that I own anyone who does not come directly from Criminal Minds.**

Xylophones

"Who do I kill?" Emily groaned as she returned to the living room with two baby monitors.

"I'm pretty certain Dave is the culprit, but I'll find the list and check it before you leave to hunt him down," Carrie said sleepily.

It was three days after the birthday party they'd thrown for Chloe and India…three days of non-stop noise whenever the girls were awake, which was a slowly increasing amount of time every day.

Someone had given the girls xylophones, and from the second they had figured out that the funny looking presents made music, they refused to play with anything else. Carrie had attempted to hide the xylophones yesterday in a bid to give the adults in the house a breather; the girls had realised that their play toys were missing and had screamed the house down until they'd been reproduced, despite Carrie and Emily both using their sternest voices as they informed the girls that their tantrums were not appreciated.

"It figures that Dave would be the culprit," Emily muttered as she dropped down onto the couch that Carrie wasn't sprawled out on. "Where are the guys at the moment?"

"Putting the boys to bed. Something has been bugging Toby for a while now so they're hoping that having some guy time without me present will help. They think Jack knows what it is, but he is protecting Toby and won't talk about it beyond indicating that something is going on."

"Huh. Well, if anyone can do it, they can. So what are we doing to Dave when we get our hands on him?"

"_If_ it's him," she cautioned. "Perhaps start with a threat and then hang up without an explanation and then we can plan further from that. But I'd leave it for a while until he stops expecting it. And considering I'm thinking whatever it is should be noisy, we should make sure the babies aren't home to be woken up."

"Good point. Okay, threats…" She thought about it for a minute before something came to her and then suddenly she was grinning and Carrie was watching her curiously as she picked up the phone and dialled.

While she waited for it to ring through, she put the call on speakerphone so Carrie could hear.

"Hello Emily, how are you?"

She stayed silent for a long moment, waiting until Dave prompted her a second time with her name, though she was struggling not to laugh as he spoke. "Emily?"

"Be afraid David Rossi…be very afraid."

"Em?"

She hung up on him as she heard his confusion and they burst out laughing. Carrie was laughing so hard she was crying. And every time they looked at each other, the laughter just escalated until they were both struggling to breathe.

New Section

Aaron smiled warmly at the laughter floating up the stairs, glad that the girls could find something to laugh about after the noisy and stressful three days they'd had since the xylophones entered the house. He made a mental note to figure out where the noisy instruments had come from and take them back with a strong warning about what would happen if something like this happened again.

Tuning back in to the conversation, he realised that Mirkal was really getting nowhere and that Toby was looking more distressed the longer they prodded him for an answer. He cleared his throat softly and Mirkal stopped speaking and turned to look at him.

"Toby, I know that you have something you need to say, or to ask us. I can also see that it is something huge, that whatever it is holds a lot of importance to you. Would it help if we waited for you to figure out what you want to say?"

The relief Toby felt was written all over his face as he nodded eagerly. Then he asked in a small voice, "Can I speak to Mirkal alone for a minute?"

Aaron said gently, "I need to read a story to Jack before bed, so why don't the two of you go out into the open area and close the door behind you for privacy so we can't hear you."

Toby smiled slightly and looked at Mirkal for permission. His stepfather nodded agreement so they walked out of the room and pulled the door closed as Jack went to the bookcase to pick the story of the night.

Mirkal looked the open area over and shook his head slightly. "If the ladies get quiet, this won't be very private. Would you like to go into my room so we can talk without anyone hearing anything?"

Toby nodded and followed him into the room. Mirkal gestured to the bed and they sat down side by side on the edge. Remembering what Aaron had said, Mirkal let silence fall over them and resolved to wait patiently for Toby to speak. He was frankly baffled that Toby was so worked up over something to do with him that clearly had nothing to do with his mother, but he figured if he could just wait, things would become clear to him soon enough.

He knew he'd do whatever he could to alleviate any anxiety or stress this issue was causing his stepson because the child was just as precious to him as his mother was. He'd had no part at all in creating the little boy sitting beside him, but there really wasn't that much difference between the love he felt for Carrie and the love he held for her son. The only difference he knew of was that he was _in love_ with the one and that the love for the other was that of a father for his child.

He was pulled from his musing when Toby asked, "Mirkal, did you ever want a stepson before?"

Mirkal blinked, taking a moment to assimilate how serious Toby was and to make sure he understood the question. "Did your mother tell you that we met before you were even born?" When Toby nodded, Mirkal continued carefully, "Well, I was always thinking about your mother after I walked away from her, but I didn't know what had happened in her life. So when I thought about her and wondered if I'd ever see her again to maybe ask her to give me a second chance, I didn't really think about her being married and having children. Does that make sense to you?"

Toby nodded slowly. "But then you found Mummy, and me too. And you married Mummy because you loved her."

Because he was starting to get a sense of where this conversation was going, he smiled warmly at the little boy looking anxiously up at him. "Toby, of course I love your mummy. But that love is not solely for her alone. I always knew that when I got married one day, I wanted to marry a woman who wants to have my children. But if she already had children that was also right with me; as far as I am concerned, a child is just another part of the mother to love."

Toby frowned. "I don't understand."

Mirkal lifted his hand and gently stroked his fingers through Toby's hair. "Toby, what that means is that as much as I love your mother, I also love you too. It's just that my love for you is different from my love for Carrie."

"Why is it different?"

"Because I love you like a father loves his child, particularly when he's proud to be a parent. But I'm not Carrie's father, so I don't love her like that. Does that make more sense?"

Toby nodded, some of his anxiety clearly alleviated. But Mirkal could still see that there was more, so he prodded gently, "Can I reassure you about something else Toby?"

Toby bit his lip hard, before blurting out, "My dad used to hit Mummy all the time, saying she was worthless and he didn't know why he didn't just get rid of her. Then we ran away and he came after us, and our new family here saved us and now we're safe. You never hit or yell at Mummy or me and she's happy _all_ the time. And whenever I ask her, she always smiles and says we're safe with you and she loves you very much.

"Well, I was thinking about it and talking to Jack and I feel really safe with you and I think…well…I think I love you too," he blurted out quickly.

Mirkal felt his heart race to triple time as he pulled the little boy onto his lap and held him tight as he started crying. He rocked them both slowly, just waiting as deep, broken sobs turned into soft whimpers and then eased off into an occasional sniffle.

Mirkal waited until Toby looked up at him before stating slowly and clearly, "I love you Toby, and I am so proud to have you as my son."

Toby snuggled in closer to the embrace that felt just as safe and comforting as his mother's and shyly whispered, "I love you too Daddy."

New Section

By the time Aaron and Mirkal had settled both boys into bed and Mirkal had assured Aaron that everything with Toby would be just fine now and returned to the living room, they found both ladies on their backs on the floor, hands on their stomachs and their faces turned up as they talked quietly among themselves.

"Everything alright?"

Emily shot her husband a sweet smile and Carrie just smiled sleepily.

"Everything's fine Aaron. We're just plotting Dave's downfall."

"Ah. Is he the culprit we need to kill over the arrival of the musical instruments?"

"Yup. We've already got the ball rolling with a threat. Now we're planning the rest of our revenge. Feel free to give us input if you want in on it."

The guys nodded and Aaron yawned hugely. "I think it's time to get some sleep while things are quiet."

Emily yawned her own agreement and held up her arms for assistance in standing. As Aaron helped her up, Mirkal did the same for his wife and shot her a meaningful look before clearing his throat.

"Just before you head up to bed, Carrie and I have something we want to tell you." When Emily and Aaron turned their eyes to them, Mirkal smiled at Carrie and gestured her to go ahead.

"I'm pregnant."

Aaron grinned hugely as Emily let out a happy little squeal and pulled the younger woman into her arms for a tight hug.

"Congratulations guys," Aaron said as he clapped Mirkal happily on the shoulder.

"So how pregnant are you? Are you feeling okay? Can I do more to make your job easier?"

Carrie laughed at Emily and hugged her back. "I feel fine, and in fact I haven't had any symptoms at all. I didn't know I was pregnant until I started putting on weight, so I'm almost four months gone. At the moment my job is really easy, so you don't have to do anything more. My last pregnancy…well, it wasn't easy because there was almost no support through it, but this time I have Mirkal and I know I have you guys in my corner. So we might just have to see how I'm feeling day to day."

"Well I think it's wonderful," Emily said warmly. "The nursery has room for one more, or were you thinking of moving out?"

Carrie shook her head. "We only found out a week ago, so we haven't really discussed anything yet. It's okay for us to stay though right?"

Aaron rolled his eyes. "Of course it is guys. We're not just going to kick you out before you're ready."

Carrie let out a dramatic sigh of relief and they all laughed. Aaron left the group to lock up and set the alarm and when he returned they retired to their rooms to get sleep enough to deal with the noisy day to come.

**End**

**A/N: Two more to go. I'm not entirely sure what Y has install for us, but it may have something to do with a little revenge, so you might just have to wait and see.**

**Stay tuned; Y is for...**

**Reviews are love and encouragement for faster typing and updates, and with the conveniently placed box right under these words they are easier than ever to leave. You don't even need to sign in, though I'd love to be able to thank you for your kind words. **


	25. Y is for You Didn't!

**A/N: Since I am crazy-busy for the next three days, I thought it would be best to get this out to you beforehand just in case something comes up later.**

**Many, MANY thanks for wonderful reviews to Wtiger5, Hazmatt and HGRHfan35.**

**Wtiger5 – Thank you so, SO much for your help with this chapter. It was invaluable to have you at the other end of the chat line bouncing ideas with me and listening as always as I worried if it was alright or if I'd gone too far. Love you heaps.**

**WARNING: This chapter is rated T just to be on the safe side...be warned; don't read this in a public place where your laughter might get you into trouble.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds at all, although they do own me. And the list of those I do own is getting so incredibly long that I am just going to say that I own anyone who does not come directly from Criminal Minds.**

You Didn't!

Revenge. A dish best served cold. Or in this case, a dish served with a healthy dose of laughter.

"You didn't!"

Emily looked at Teresa and calmly stated, "Not yet, but we will."

Teresa burst out laughing, so Emily settled back to wait her out as Carrie walked in to the room and settled down beside her on the couch. Toby and Jack were in school, everyone under the age of two was sleeping upstairs and the guys were out and all meeting up together. The other ladies were due shortly, but for now it was just the three of them.

"Oh my goodness. You have no idea how much I needed that laugh."

"Glad we could help. So you had no chance of talking him out of it?"

Teresa snorted softly. "Of course not. My husband is the most stubborn man in the world. Once he has an idea in his head, he's almost impossible to talk to. Besides that, by the time I heard about it, he'd already bought them. So I told him he was on his own and I bought the personalised books."

"So would it bother you if we made him pay for the last few weeks of torture?"

"Not at all. In fact, can I help you with it?" Carrie and Emily exchanged a confused look and Teresa rolled her eyes. "Dave has it in his head that we won't be resuming sexual relations until I am clear of giving birth by three months. He says he wants to be absolutely certain that everything will go well because he didn't like causing me so much pain in the first place. Fine, I get it, I do; he was in agony over it. But seriously, that's like another month I have to wait for him? I'll go crazy with wanting. So I want to make him pay without hurting him. If I can help, I'm in. But why warn me?"

"Because we both have children, and we understand how much noise can affect them. The only reason we won the right to remove the xylophones was because we finally got the girls to understand at the most basic level that their constant noise was hurting their little brothers. So if we warn you and let you know when we are planning this for, you can arrange to take the twins somewhere quiet for the day."

"Only a day?"

"We figure a day would be more than enough for a man who likes his peace and quiet as much as he does. The general consensus would be that he would learn his lesson pretty quickly and never make that mistake again, either with us or any of the others."

"Good point. When are you planning all this?"

"This coming weekend. Mirkal is going to have a cold so that he can stay close by to help, but the guys are planning an outing and we will have the Saturday to get everything set up and then Sunday is when it all goes down."

"Huh, I love it! Tell me what you're planning?"

New Section

Dave closed off the file in front of him and put it in the box sitting on the floor beside his desk. He looked at the files still to be completed before settling back in his chair and stretching out his arms. Teresa was out with Emily and the twins for the day, giving him the time and quiet he needed to get on top of the work he'd had pending since shortly before Isabella and Nathaniel were born. For as much as he loved his children, they took up a lot of time and made an inordinate amount of noise.

Sparing a thought for what he'd inflicted on Emily and Aaron, he smiled in amusement and decided a break for coffee was in order. Walking through to the kitchen, he switched on the coffee maker before walking to the fridge for the coffee. He stopped before opening the door, turning to look at the coffee maker as a faint ticking noise sounded briefly through the kitchen. He shrugged when the sound stopped and opened the door, jumping out of his skin when a ghoulish scream issued from the cold inside, causing him to slam the door shut quickly.

He waited until his heart stopped racing before he tried the door again. When nothing happened, he wondered if he was going mad in the silence that surrounded him, if maybe he'd gotten too used to the constant noise that having two babies in the house always produced. He grabbed out the coffee and took time to have a quick look for something that might have made such a piercing noise before he closed the door. He prepared the coffee and setting it to grind the beans, again heard the ticking noise that had caught his attention earlier.

Shrugging it off, and knowing the coffee would be a while, he walked through to the entertainment unit in the living room and selected one of his most loved cds to listen to. Turning the volume up loud, he turned back toward the kitchen as the cd started, bringing him to an immediate shocked stop as he found the words of his favourite artist replaced in such a horrifying way.

"I love you,

You love me,

We're a happy family,

with a great big hug,

and a kiss from me to you,

Won't you say you love me TOO!

I love you,

You love me,

We're best friends like friends should be,

With a great big hug,

And a kiss from me to you,

Won't you say you love me too."

"Lord have mercy; what hell have I fallen in to?" he muttered darkly as his feet finally took him back to the unit to stop the cd, only to find that stopping the cd didn't stop the music, and did in fact cause it to echo throughout the whole house. He snarled curses as he moved to yank the power cord out of the wall, only to find that had just as little effect.

Barney continued to play on an annoying loop until it just suddenly stopped mid-word, and for a moment a blessed silence fell over the house, interrupted by what sounded like a bomb exploding over and over in rapid succession in the kitchen. When silence once again fell over the house, he muttered softly, "Do I dare even to move?"

Deciding he needed bourbon with his coffee, he stalked through to his office and opened his personal cabinet, letting out a startled shout to see three dolls heads lined up in a row and to hear them all saying repeatedly, 'Mamma, Mamma."

He slammed the door shut quickly, deciding the bourbon wasn't worth it after all, only to hear a ghostly rolling echo of 'Mamma, Mamma' throughout the house. He clapped his hands to his ears and let out a short scream that somehow stopped all the noise and left him feeling like he was standing in a deep well of silence. For long minutes he just stood there, wondering what else could possibly go wrong in what he thought was going to be a nice, productive day. But when nothing else happened, he stalked back to the kitchen, finished making his coffee without any mishaps, and returned to his office, intending to call Teresa and demand to know why he was being tortured in this manner.

He picked up the house phone but before he could dial his wife's number, a deep male voice could be heard through the handset, prompting him to lift it to his ear to hear what else his torturers had come up with.

Hello, and welcome to the Mental Health Hotline.

If you are obsessive-compulsive, press 1 repeatedly.

If you are co-dependent, ask someone to press 2 for you.

If you have multiple personalities, press 3, 4, 5 and 6.

If you are paranoid, we know what you are and what you want; stay on the line and we'll trace your call.

If you're delusional, press 7 and your call will be transferred to the mother ship.

If you are schizophrenic, listen carefully and a small voice will tell you which number to press.

If you are depressive, it doesn't matter which number you press; no one will answer you.

If you are dyslexic, press 69696969.

If you have a nervous disorder, please fidget with the hash key until the beep; after the beep please wait for the beep.

If you have a short-term memory loss, please try your call again later, and if you have low self-esteem, hang up; all our operators are too busy to talk to you.

"What the..." he hung up the handset quickly, reached for his cell phone and held down the speed dial for Teresa's number. But instead of hearing it ring, all he could hear was the Mental Health Hotline joke echoing through the house and the sound of the call hanging up on him.

Giving up on peace and quiet, he hurried to grab his shoes, wallet, and keys, determining to go to the Hotchner's residence in order to face the love of his life directly. Opening up the front door assaulted him with the noise of a badly played xylophone. He closed his eyes and thought that just maybe he should disappear and leave his darling wife to deal with all the ridiculous noises on her own. But then maybe she hadn't done anything and someone else was behind this. As he thought this through, listening to the mangled rendition of _something_ that sounded familiar, he wondered if the invitation from Emily to Teresa today had been meant for something else entirely. Either way, he was definitely heading for the Hotchner's place.

Closing the door behind him, he went to the car and unlocked the door with the remote, jumping in surprise when the car alarm went off. He was glad no one was about to witness his threats as he slammed the door and started the engine, which thankfully silenced the alarm. Putting the car in reverse, he controlled his annoyance and gently tapped the accelerator, and was startled to hear a noise akin to a hundred xylophones being played simultaneously and badly at that, as if he was standing at a distance from them. He slammed on the brakes, and just about jumped out of his skin when the car horn sounded a short blast.

He had discovered two things by the time he reversed out of the drive and got to the end of the block; the xylophones got progressively louder the faster he drove, and the car horn blasted for a second every time he had to touch the brakes.

By the time he turned off the engine as the car came to a loud stop outside the Hotchner's front door, he had a headache that roared at him and a sick feeling in his gut.

He thought about pressing the doorbell, but decided not to tempt fate and instead knocked quietly on the door, not really expecting anyone to hear him. So he was a bit surprised when Emily opened the door and looked steadily at him for a moment.

"Have we achieved an understanding now?"

He nodded and said hoarsely, "We have; I understand completely. Please make it all go away."

"The noises have stopped, and the hardware shall be removed in the next hour."

"Thank you."

She pulled her hands from behind her back and held up two boxes, each containing a brightly coloured xylophone.

"What are you _not _getting the girls for their second birthday?"

"Something noisy," he said promptly.

"Very good. You may now come inside and get something for that headache."

"Do the painkillers come with an explanation of how you pulled this all off?"

"I'll think about it, though I kind of like the thought of you suffering in silence for just a little bit longer."

Groaning quietly, he stepped through the front door and gave silent thanks when she closed it softly behind him. Perhaps the quiet wouldn't be so bad after all.

**End**

**A/N: Done! I had such a blast writing this one, and I really hope you had as much fun reading it. One more to go, what shall the ending bring?**

**Stay tuned; Z is for...**

**Reviews are love and encouragement for faster typing and updates, and with the conveniently placed box right under these words they are easier than ever to leave. You don't even need to sign in, though I'd love to be able to thank you for your kind words. **


	26. Z is for Zombies in the Den

**A/N: Last one out!**

**Many, MANY thanks for wonderful reviews to Wtiger5, lexjl, Hazmatt, HGRHfan35 and Daisyangel. I'm sorry if I didn't reply to all of you this time around…just know that I am truly grateful every time I hear from you.**

**Wtiger5 – Thanks for keeping me honest and on track sweetie. I can't imagine how I ever managed this before you came on board. Love you lots.**

**WARNING: **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds at all, although they do own me. And the list of those I do own is getting so incredibly long that I am just going to say that I own anyone who does not come directly from Criminal Minds.**

Zombies in the Den

Jack pulled his blankets up over his head but found that even that didn't block out the noise of three babies crying. His little brothers were just _not_ getting the idea that sleeping through the night was a good thing, and on top of that, India had an ear infection. So whenever she woke screaming in the night in pain, Micah and James would also wake up. This was the second time tonight and he was tired of being so close to all of the noise. Possibly the only one still sleeping was Chloe, but they'd already proven that she would sleep through just about anything.

"Jack, I can't sleep with all this noise. Make it stop."

Jack rolled his eyes in the dark as he yanked his covers off his head. "You think I can stop them crying when the combined force of our mothers can't manage it? We'd have better luck moving further away from all the noise."

"Do you think we'd get in trouble if we went down to sleep in the den?" Toby asked, hopeful that the answer would be in his favour.

Jack thought about it for a few seconds before shaking his head. "We have school tomorrow, so we could just tell them that we couldn't sleep with all the noise and we knew we'd need our sleep for school and that's why we went down there."

Toby's grin was easily seen in the dark room. "I love the way your brain thinks Jack. Let's go now while all the adults are distracted."

They grabbed a blanket and pillow each and crept out of their room. They made it down to the bottom of the stairs and into the den as the noise upstairs escalated.

"It isn't perfect, but it is a lot quieter," Jack said softly as they arranged themselves on the long couch.

"Maybe we should put the TV on really quiet so that we can drown out the rest of the noise," Toby suggested softly.

Jack considered the idea for a moment and then nodded slowly, wincing at a particularly shrill cry. He picked up the remote and turned the TV on, looking for one of their favourite kids channels. After a minute, they concluded that there was nothing playing at night and he was just about to turn the TV off when he remembered something.

"I've seen Dad turn the lock off, and I think I remember the code. I think it'll just be too noisy without it. What do you think?"

Toby shrugged. "I think it'll be okay as long as we don't watch anything bad."

Jack nodded agreement and started pressing buttons on the remote control. A couple of minutes later after some trial and error, the padlock disappeared off the screen and he was able to scroll through the selections.

"It's all boring stuff," Toby whined softly as they eliminated channel after channel.

Jack let loose with a resigned sigh, just about to agree with him when something caught his eye and made him hesitate.

"Jack, where did all the colour go?"

"I don't know, but it looks weird."

They watched in silence, trying to figure out what was going on, and were so engrossed that they didn't even realise the younger children had stopped crying and settled back into silence.

They unknowingly moved closer to each other the longer the movie played, coming to hold each other tightly when two of the characters were killed by a truck exploding. Their eyes grew huge in horror as they continued to watch, realising far too late that maybe they shouldn't be watching this. Unable to tear their eyes away, they watched the dead people in the film get eaten by other people and later neither could say who started screaming first.

New Section

Emily smacked into Mirkal as he came out of the boys' room with Carrie right behind him, and was grateful that Aaron was right behind her so that he could keep her from hitting the floor.

"They aren't here."

"Sounds like they're downstairs. Looks like it too," Carrie added as they rushed for the stairs. "They've taken blankets and pillows with them."

"Probably trying to get away from the very noise they've just incited," Emily muttered as she hit the bottom of the stairs and turned left towards the den. They had children screaming all over the house and though she desperately wanted to be upstairs with the babies, she could hear that their crying was merely a reaction to the noise coming from below them. On the other hand, the very real fear she could hear from Jack and Toby told her to see to them first.

She hit the light the moment she entered the room, to find both boys buried under their blankets and trembling and the TV on. She unfortunately recognised the movie straight away and quickly moved to turn it off. Behind her, Carrie, Mirkal and Aaron got the boys untangled and lifted them up into tight hugs.

She watched the men sit as the adrenalin faded and shook her head in resignation as she followed Carrie back up the stairs and into the nursery. Luckily the boys were pretty tired and just needed to be rocked for a bit, falling asleep despite the fact that India was still carrying on, inconsolable in her pain-filled misery. Emily lifted her up and checked the clock on the wall, relieved to see that she could give her daughter some medication. India settled into her arms after fighting the administration of the liquid which was slowly helping her ear to heal, sniffling softly as she burrowed close to her mother's warmth. Emily eased over to Chloe's cot and stood still, uncertain whether to be relieved that her youngest daughter had slept through all the surrounding noise, or worried that she had done so. Deciding it was an issue to be dealt with another day, she turned away, focusing on getting India back to sleep.

With the babies once again settled into silence, she linked arms with Carrie and headed back to the den, where they found Jack and Toby were still incoherent with fear.

She sighed tiredly, wishing she could do away with the intense exhaustion she'd experienced ever since her three children had become five. Speaking softly so as not to further spook the boys, she explained, "They somehow managed to turn the parental lock off; they were watching Night of the Living Dead."

"You only saw the screen for a few seconds before you turned it off. How on earth did you pick that so fast?"

She smiled vaguely at Carrie. "Let's just say there were a lot of movies I wasn't allowed to watch as a young teen that I saw anyway."

"She was a rebel," Aaron agreed. He shifted his son on his lap, ignoring the little boy's fight to stay pressed in close to him as he was set on his feet. Aaron gently forced Jack's chin up until they were looking eye to eye before he asked gently, "Why weren't you in bed?"

Jack started crying. "It's too noisy upstairs with everyone crying and moving about. I kept getting woken up and then I just couldn't get back to sleep. So I suggested we come down here to get away from the noise."

Toby struggled out of Mirkal's arms and shouted, "He's lying. It was my idea to come down here, and it was my idea to put the TV on. Jack shouldn't get into trouble because he just did what I said."

Carrie felt her heart swell with love as she listened to Toby making sure that Jack didn't take the blame for his own actions. She was so proud of her son, but at the same time, she knew there needed to be repercussions because her child did not _need_ to add another nightmare to his already lengthy list. She walked forward and crouched down carefully beside Toby, using her husband's knee for balance.

"Toby, look at me." She waited while he turned to her, his whole body showing how defeated he felt in that moment. He was waiting for a blow that would never come, and it hurt something inside of her that this one decision to watch something to drown out the noise upstairs had ripped open so completely an old wound that had only really just begun to heal in the last few months.

Tapping his chin gently, she waited for him to lift his head to look at her before she spoke again. "Toby, I am so proud of you for being honest about who suggested what in your little adventure with Jack. It takes a lot of strength and courage to tell the truth even when you know you're going to get in trouble for what you did. I don't mind that you wanted to come and sleep down here. I know it hasn't been easy living in such a noisy environment, though I wish you had spoken to me, to your father or to Emily or Aaron about it before today because if we'd known how much the noise was bothering you we could have done something about it. But what you will get into trouble about is coming down here and turning on the television even knowing that you needed to sleep. _However_ you managed it or _whatever_ your reason for turning it on, it was still wrong. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yes Mummy, and I'm really sorry."

"I know you are sweetheart, but you will still need to be punished. I'll think on this tonight and I will let you know my decision tomorrow."

"Okay."

She pulled him into her arms and gave him a hug, then softly indicated that they should all head back to bed now as she noticed that the Hotchners had already left the room. Several minutes later everyone was back in their beds and peace settled once again over the house.

**End**

**A/N: And our second foray into alphabets is done and dusted! Thanks so much for sticking with me through it. Next story will be coming up shortly.**

**Reviews are love and encouragement for faster typing and updates, and with the conveniently placed box right under these words they are easier than ever to leave. You don't even need to sign in, though I'd love to be able to thank you for your kind words. **


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